The Will to Be Strong: Legends in The Making
by Tenshi no Hana-chan
Summary: Team 7, legends in the making. Their lives will weave an epic once more. Part Five: The Jounin Exams are under way, and in the midst of the chaos Kakashi's team will be thrust into once more. [SasuSaku, NaruHina]
1. A New Mission – Reconnecting Old Ties

**AN:** Welcome to my first multi-chapter Naruto fic, The Will to Be Strong – Legends in the Making!

This epic is going to be divided into parts like the real Naruto series: first part is retrieving Sasuke, next is a fight with the Akatsuki, then the Chuunin Exams come, and then a short arc concerning the Hyuugas. Then the next is a very long arc concerning the Jounin Exams.

I'm going to make a second part of the epic as a separate story, entitled The Will to Be Strong – Legendary Sannin. The first part will be three years after the Jounin Exams, when there's going to be a big Sound invasion. Then, there'll be a final battle with Itachi and the Akatsuki. But obviously, I can't write about that yet.

The main pairings will be SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, and ShikaIno. There might be a GaaOC and an ItaOC, but very minimal, unless I make some changes. My _twin sister_ suggested that I put an OroTsuna, but that would be just freaky. Just review if you want it, though.

The storyline starts after the recent manga arc, where they battle two Akatsuki, Deidara and Sasori. There might be some major spoilers about this arc, so beware. And whatever happens after that arc won't be of concern with this fic. I'm only going to go for the chapters before Chap 280 in the manga.

This fic is kind of an alternative to the next part of the manga. The happenings after Naruto and Sasuke's battle at the Valley of the End in the anime (i.e. Mizuki's escape from prison, Jiraiya, Sakura and Naruto's reconnoiter mission, etc.) don't happen. We follow the manga storyline.

So much fun, ne?

Anyway, without further ado, let me present Tenshi no Hana-chan's epic…

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**The Will to be Strong – Legends in the Making**

**Chapter 1: A New Mission – Reconnecting Old Ties

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**

**Disclaimer: **This goes for this chapter and for all the chapters that follow. I don't own Naruto, never did, never will, unless I become a multi-billionaire and buy it from Masashi Kishimoto. But that's just wishful thinking.

* * *

Dawn's rosy fingers touched the sky, softly letting pink and purple hues take over the black velvet. The birds began their morning songs, and a few sleepy eyes fluttered open, a few more deciding to get a little more shut-eye.

However, a certain pink-haired chuunin couldn't let herself close her eyes anymore, not when she had an important mission briefing to get to.

Haruno Sakura stretched, earning her a satisfied _crack_ around the sore joints. "Maa, what a good sleep I had," she mumbled to herself. She took a deep breath and let it out with a _whoosh_, then stood up. She did a couple of choice stretches until she felt content she was warmed up enough to start her day.

The fourteen year old kunoichi dressed out of her nightclothes into her usual ensemble: a simple sleeveless red zip-up blouse with the white circle on its back, her beige skirt, and black shorts. She tied bandages around her right thigh and attached a kunai pouch on it, and also attached a bigger pouch on her back. She combed out her short pink hair and wore her hitai-ate as a headband. After putting on her black leg warmers and her high-heeled open-toed sandals, she was ready to go.

She ate breakfast, said goodbye to her parents, and decided to take time in walking to the Hokage Tower, where Hatake Kakashi-sensei had said they were receiving details of the mission.

Nothing had changed much in Konoha since a couple of years ago, she decided. It was still an idyllic village, albeit powerful militarily, with its peaceful people and its quaint little shops. The shops surrounding her parents' own were opening up, and some of her neighbors waved their morning greetings to her.

"Mission again, Sakura-chan?" someone called.

"Just a mission briefing," Sakura called back cheerfully. "They keep coming these days!"

"Good luck then!"

"Thanks, Yamagata-san!"

She walked on until she arrived by the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She pushed the door open, and after a faint tinkle, there was an automatic greeting. "Welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop! What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, Yamanaka-san!" Sakura greeted, bowing to the middle-aged woman as she turned to face her.

"Oh, it's you, Sakura-chan!" the woman exclaimed. "Ino-chan! Sakura-chan's here!" she called. Then she turned back to Sakura, smiling. "She'll be with you in a minute."

Pounding on the stairs told her that the young blonde of the flower shop had arrived. "Hey, forehead girl!" Ino said, slinging her arm around the pink-haired girl's shoulder. "Welcome back from your latest mission! Ready for the next one?"

"As ready as ever, Ino-pig!" Sakura exclaimed just as enthusiastically. "Ja ne, Yamanaka-san!"

"Ja, okaasan!" Ino said, pecking her mother on the cheek. "This mission briefing won't take long."

"All right," Ino's mother said. "Stay out as long as you want, but be back for dinner."

The two strolled out of the shop, earning looks from male passers-by. Both of them had blossomed beautifully indeed. Ino's hair had grown back to its usual length and it swayed elegantly from its hair-tie. Both girls had developed their curves, although they had almost stopped growing in height, having reached the end of their growth spurt.

"So, Sakura-chan," Ino said, looking at Sakura interestedly. "Tell me what happened on your last mission."

"Well," Sakura said, "we managed to rescue the Kazekage, Gaara-san, from the Akatsuki. They were going to extract the Shukaku from him, but he survived."

"Details, Sakura-chan, details!" Ino exclaimed, waving her hand airily. "I want to hear the good stuff! How was it, really?"

"I managed to make a good friend out of Tsunade-shishou's rival from the Wind Country, Chiyo-baasama of the Sand. She's a puppet master just like our enemy, Sasori of the Red Sand. She used me as her puppet since she's not strong enough to battle with the usual puppets or using herself. I fought against Sasori's puppets, one of which turned out to be the Third Kazekage's body. It didn't have a soul anymore, but the techniques and the chakra were still intact."

"So basically you were fighting against a zombie puppet?" Ino said, wrinkling her nose. "Disgusting!"

"It was really powerful, you know, for a dead body," Sakura mused. "It had the ability to form iron sand with chakra. The iron sand would form into different weapons, and they were poisonous."

"But naturally, your training in dodging, plus the fact that you've gotten Tsunade-sama's knack for creating antidotes in a second, _and_ your titanic strength helped you."

"It was good that I managed to make three samples of the antidote," Sakura said. "I took two and left one with Kankurou-san, who was also injured with the same poison that time. If hadn't taken one, I don't think I would've been able to fight. Chiyo-baasama…" Sakura looked down, feeling sadness coursing through her body. "She died to save me. I got run through by a poisoned sword… but she gave her life force to me. I was dying then, so she gave most of her life force to me. And she gave the last of it to Gaara-san..."

"The good thing was that you managed to win," Ino said, nodding. "And Naruto and Kakashi-sensei also won their fight with… what's his name?"

"Deidara. He has a weird affinity for art."

"Oh. And you came back…"

"…about three days ago."

Just then, a sudden yell made both girls jump. "Sakura-_chaaaaan_!"

"Naruto!" Sakura said, giving the blond fox a hard slap on the head. "Don't shout so early in the morning!"

"But, but, Sakura-chan, I was only happy to see you!"

"You didn't have to destroy our perfect sense of hearing," Ino retorted ruefully. Naruto grinned.

"Sorry, Ino!" In true Naruto fashion, he bobbed from one girl to another. "So, so, do you girls have any idea what this mission is about?"

"Unfortunately, no, Naruto," Sakura replied. "But if a lot of us have to go on this mission, that means-"

"This has to be an A-rank or an S-rank mission! Yahoo!" Naruto yelled happily.

"_Naruto_!" both girls exclaimed. "Not so loud!"

"Really," Ino said, shaking her head. "I'd have been happy with a B-rank mission, but this guy… he's overjoyed with the possibility of an S-rank mission."

Sakura laughed. "Well, that's Naruto for you."

They stopped in front of the Nara residence. "What are we doing here?" Naruto asked. Ino glared at him, as though it was his fault they were there.

"I have to wake up the lazy-ass," she said, jumping to the window. The members of former genin team 7 looked at each other inquisitively, then jumped up as well.

"Oi! Shika! Shikamaru!" Ino said, rapping at the window. Through the glass, Naruto and Sakura could see the genius tactician snoring, his bed things scattered around the floor. "Wake up! You'll be late! Shika!" Under her breath, she muttered, "He's pretending to be asleep again." Then the blonde grinned, and her companions winced. Both shinobi knew she was planning something. "Time to get serious."

"Ninpou: Shintenshin no Jutsu(1)!"

Sakura caught Ino's body as it fell limp beside her. She saw Shikamaru's body rise up and open the window. Then, Shika-Ino yelled, "Kai(2)!"

With a thump, Shika's body fell to the floor, and Ino, now back in her body, climbed the window. Before she could reach the floor, Shikamaru had opened his eyes and scampered to the door. However, there was no stopping the angry blue-eyed girl.

"SHI-KA-MA-_RUUU_! I TOLD YOU TO WAKE UP! YOU WERE AWAKE ANYWAY, SO WHY DIDN'T YOU GET UP?"

This being one the few times Ino was stronger than Shikamaru, she grabbed the tactician by the collar and began shaking him. "We're going to be late for the briefing because of you!" she yelled to the cringing Nara.

"I didn't ask you to wake me up anyway!" Shikamaru argued.

"But this mission needs your brains!" Ino said. "You're a genius, you should've figured that out! Really, maybe I shouldn't wake you up on times like these!"

Shikamaru smirked. "And even though we didn't need to walk there together, you still took all the trouble going here and waking me up." There was a moment's silence as Ino tried to register what he had just said. Then her jaw dropped and her fair complexion colored.

Flustered, the girl began shaking the genius hard again. "I didn't do it because I liked you in that way or anything, if that's what you're implying!" she cried. "It's just that you're my teammate! That's all!"

"Okay, okay, Ino! I'm going to get ready now!" Shikamaru exclaimed. "Geez, how troublesome." The two shinobi outside the window sweatdropped at the blatant flirting the genius was doing. Laughing, they leapt down. From inside the window, they heard Shikamaru say, "So you're just going to stay here and watch me while I undress? Sure, I don't mind."

"Kyaa! Shika! You – you – you _pervert_!" An instant later, Ino had jumped out of the window and landed on the ground, blushing to the roots of her hair, muttering, "_Honestly_!" Naruto and Sakura snorted in laughter.

A few minutes later, with his Chuunin vest and a bored look on, Shikamaru sauntered out of his house. "Come on," he muttered, putting his hands in his pockets. "Let's get to the Hokage Tower."

"But what about Chouji?" Ino asked.

"Nah, he was the one who woke me up. I told him we'd meet him at the Hokage Tower," Shikamaru replied.

"_What_?" Ino asked, her anger rising again. "Then why didn't you wake up after that?"

"I told him I wanted five more minutes, so he relented and went to the Hokage Tower by himself."

"Ooh, when I get to that Chouji, I'm going to beat him to a pulp. He _should've _convinced you to wake up!"

"Ch. Whatever."

After a few minutes of walking in silence, they arrived at the foremost building in Konoha, the Hokage Tower. They made their way into the briefing room.

"Sakura-san!" a voice called.

"Oh, it's Lee-san!" Sakura exclaimed happily. She separated herself from Ino. "Good morning, Lee-san. Are you all right now?"

Lee gave Sakura his nice-guy pose. "Of course! The fire of youth heals fast! But to tell you the truth, Sakura-san," he added, smiling sheepishly, "it _is_ rather hard to fight yourself."

"Ah, you were trapped in a mirror jutsu, weren't you?" Sakura asked, and Lee nodded.

Just then, another voice called her. "Sakura-chan!" Tenten greeted, waving her arm back and forth.

"Tenten-san! Are you all right now too?"

"Well, you_ are _a pretty good medic, Sakura-chan," Tenten said cheerfully. "Just what is expected from a student of Tsunade-sama. I wish I were an apprentice of hers too, but I'm a lot better being Neji's sparring partner."

Meanwhile, Naruto was working the room as though there was a party. "Hey, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed happily, putting an arm around the female Hyuuga's shoulders. She blushed. "Haven't seen you in a while!"

"N-naruto-kun… welcome home…" Hinata said shyly.

"Uzumaki Naruto," said a stern voice behind him. The Rasengan user froze and turned to Hyuuga Neji. "Get your hands _off_ Hinata-sama."

"I-it's all right, you know, Neji-niisan," Hinata murmured, smiling bashfully, but the Hyuuga genius put his hand on the Hyuuga heir's lower back and steered her away from Naruto.

"Aw, Neji, you're no fun at all," he mumbled. Then he tapped Kiba's shoulder instead. "Hey, Kiba! How're you and Akamaru?"

Kiba grinned, showing his fangs, and Akamaru barked happily. "We're fine, thanks. I have a couple of new jutsus that I'd like to show you one of these days."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asked. "Yeah, me too! I'm going to fight you sometime then! That's a man's promise!" The fox thumped his fist against his chest in emphasis.

Kiba smirked. "I'll take your word for it. Don't disappoint me."

Naruto grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. "Of course not! That's my ninja way!"

"Settle down, everyone," another stern voice, this time female, said. Everyone turned to see the big-busted Godaime by the door. All the shinobi gathered in the room went to find their seats.

"That's better," Tsunade said, taking her place at the desk at the front of the room.

Sakura scanned the room and found everyone familiar to her. All of the Rookie 9, and Gai-sensei's team were there, although there were no jounins except Neji in the room. The green-eyed kunoichi assumed that he would lead the mission.

"Now, as all of you have probably noticed," Tsunade began, "we have a big team for this particular mission. I'm sure you've deduced by now, because of the number of ninjas, this is going to be a dangerous mission."

"Get to the point, Tsunade no baachan!" Naruto said loudly. Tsunade scowled, while Sakura hissed, "Sshh! You don't know Tsunade-shishou when she's _really_ pissed!"

"Thank you, Sakura." The slug Sannin gave Naruto one last glare and continued. "The mission all of you are assigned to do is this."

"Retrieve S-class missing nin, Uchiha Sasuke from Orochimaru."

Sakura gasped, and Naruto's jaw dropped. Muttering filled the room.

_Retrieve Uchiha Sasuke…_

_Sasuke-kun, _Sakura thought, her chest tight and all the morning freshness zapped out of her system. She bit her lip. _We have to get Sasuke-kun… We have to get him home… I can see Sasuke-kun again…_

_But what if he doesn't want to come home?_

She glanced at Naruto, whose eyes were hooded as he looked down on his shoes. _And after what he did to Naruto… And what those Sound nins did to xNeji, Kiba and Akamaru, and Chouji… Would everyone forgive him?_

_I… don't even know if_ I_ forgive him!_

It might not have showed on her face, but Sakura was quite anguished and near tears. _Even after all these years… Even after all my determination on gathering information to see him again… Now that I'm given the perfect opportunity to track him down and bring him back… Why am I hesitating?_

_Even the sound of his name affects me this way…_ She clutched at her chest. _It hurts… so much… it hurts to think of that night…_

_And if we bring him back… what will happen to him? Will it go back to the old days, just like Kakashi-sensei promised? Or will we be forever apart from him?_

_Oh, Sasuke-kun… what have you done to me?_

_Sasuke… _Naruto thought, glaring at the floor, his fist clenching. _That bastard… finally, I'm going to get to find him… And I'm going to make him regret all the things he has done… I'm going to beat him to a pulp when I find him…_

_This is perfect. I'm going to show him how much stronger I've become during the past two and a half years, and I'm going to make him pay for betraying Konoha, hurting my friends, making Sakura-chan cry, and destroying our friendship._

Naruto glanced at Sakura, who had her hand on her heart, looking pained. _What does she think about all this, though? She said before that next time… we'll do it together. But now that we're given the chance to, what does she think about this all? Does she still have deep feelings for him? This is going get more complicated if she does…_

_Sasuke-teme… if you could only see now what Sakura-chan is going through…_

_I promise, I'm going to beat the truth into you…_

The other occupants of the room gave awkward glances at the subject's former teammates. Everyone knew how emotionally hard this was for both of them, though not in the same light.

Tsunade cleared her throat, snapping everyone's attention back to her. "The last mission of Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura brought us news about where Sasuke is expected to be. In five days' time, Orochimaru will be meeting someone, presumably from the Sand, at the Tenchi(3) Bridge in Hidden Grass. It's logical to believe Uchiha Sasuke will be there with him. He can't afford to let Sasuke out of his sight.

"Apparently, the Sound nins have been on the move recently, and the reason is this: they are preparing Uchiha Sasuke, or more specifically, his body, for Orochimaru's soul to be transferred into it. I doubt Sasuke cares about this, and your job is to make sure he sees the light. If he doesn't, I want you to bring him back anyway, since Orochimaru is dangerous enough in a normal body, and much more if he gets his soul transferred in a powerful body like Uchiha Sasuke's."

Chouji raised his hand. "But why have they waited two and a half years to transfer Orochimaru's soul into Sasuke's body? I mean, if they wanted to win against us, why did they wait for so long?"

"To transfer bodies, Orochimaru needs three years of preparation, and I suppose it's also because they needed Sasuke's body to be strong enough," Tsunade replied.

"But why did _we_ wait this long to get information?" Tenten asked. "Wouldn't it have been better if we tried to retrieve Sasuke earlier, when he wasn't as strong as he probably is now?"

"For the past two years, we have been trying to get information, in vain. And we already tried retrieving Sasuke even before he reached Orochimaru, but unfortunately, this only resulted in major injuries for some of you here," Tsunade answered, casting a glance at those involved in that failed mission. Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably, as though he still thought it was his fault.

"What we have really been waiting for was for all of you guys to get stronger. Most especially," she cast a glance at Naruto and Sakura, "both of you." Naruto set his jaw in determination, while Sakura nodded. "You couldn't handle Sasuke and his guard as genins, but as chuunins you'll do a better job," Tsunade continued. "Before, we were in a hurry and we hadn't had the time to gather you all like this. Now that we're better prepared, then I suppose we have a high probability that we'll get Uchiha Sasuke back for sure."

She looked around them all. "Sasuke will not be alone. He will most likely be with Orochimaru's guard, especially now that they can't afford to lose him. Some of you have had the misfortune of meeting them, so I want you all to be careful."

Shikamaru raised his hand. "Tsunade-sama, I don't want to contest your opinion, but I think Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto are not suited for this mission."

Buzzing filled the room. Naruto uttered angrily, "What was that?" while Sakura bit her lip. Ino tugged onto Shikamaru's chuunin vest, looking at him imploringly. "Sh-shika… that's nonsense… they're two of the strongest around here…"

Shikamaru frowned at Ino, then looked back at Tsunade as Kiba stood up to restrain Naruto from jumping onto the Nara. The blonde Hokage's brow creased. "Explain, Shikamaru."

"Those two are too emotionally attached to Uchiha Sasuke. I have a feeling that their emotions will jeopardize the mission."

"What do you mean, jeopardize the mission?" Naruto snarled. "Of course we're emotionally attached! He was my best friend and my teammate! It's only right we're going on this mission!"

"_This_ is what I mean," Shikamaru said, giving Naruto a glance. "As much as it would be better to have more manpower on this mission, these two's emotions are going to get in the way. What if we have to kill Sasuke to prevent him from killing one of us?"

"Then _I'm_ going to do the killing!" Naruto growled, taking a step forward.

"Sit down, Naruto," Tsunade said sharply. "I'm going to take you out of service permanently if you don't." The angry blond relented and sat back, sulking.

There won't be any killing, I assure you," Sakura said calmly, although Ino could see she was also battling with the urge to slap Shikamaru crazy. "And even if Naruto and I are emotionally attached, we also know him better than the rest of you. Naruto has fought Sasuke-" at this, Ino and Naruto noticed the blatant lack of the '-kun', "-and can tell you a lot about his fighting style. Preliminary knowledge often helps."

"She has a point, Shikamaru," Tsunade said. "Which is in fact why I chose these two to be on the team, aside from the fact Sakura is my apprentice and the fact that Naruto has also been training with Jiraiya. I don't care how emotionally attached they are, because some of you are emotionally attached too." Her gaze flickered onto Lee, Neji, and Shino. "Some of you wanted to fight him. All of you have been personally acquainted with him, one way or another. But all that it takes doing is for all of you – especially you, Naruto – to set aside your emotions and act professional." But then she smiled. "But I have known that sometimes, extreme emotion can help out a lot in certain situations. So remember to keep your emotions in check. Remember: a shinobi doesn't show tears. The mission is the top priority," she quoted.

Tsunade pursed her lips. "I have gathered the best young shinobi in this room, and I'm counting on the success of this mission. We have two Byaakugan users, a weapon specialist, a taijutsu specialist, two animal specialists, a mind manipulator, a tactical genius, a hulk of physical strength, my apprentice herself, and the most show-offy, hyperactive loudest ninja in all of Fire Country." She grinned while everyone sniggered. "Cream of the crop. Use all your talents to the fullest. Don't come back until you can give me something useful. Understood?"

"Yes!"

"All right," Tsunade said, putting her hands on her hips. "For the mission details. This is a classified S-rank mission. Hyuuga Neji, being the only jounin in this room, will be the captain of this team. Nara Shikamaru will be head tactician, while Haruno Sakura will be head medic. I'd wish there were more jounins than chuunins in here, even if I know true strength isn't measured by titles, but a lot of the jounins are doing some kind of mission as well." She sighed deeply and continued.

"I want you all to cancel all your plans for tomorrow, because you'll be out of Konoha by six in the morning. I suggest you use the remaining time you have left in Konoha to pack and train and do a little research.

"Uchiha Sasuke may have not committed any crimes aside from leaving the village, and he is still technically a genin, but I can safely say that he could be classified as a jounin without the technicalities. So be careful around him. Don't compromise. We don't know what twisted logic Orochimaru planted into his mind. I want you to come back here as a complete team.

That will be all for now."

She handed Neji the mission scroll and he followed Tenten out of the door. Everyone filed out, leaving Sakura with Tsunade.

"I'd like to train harder today, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said determinedly. "I have to… for the mission tomorrow."

Tsunade looked at her pink-haired protégé, feeling pride rise in her chest. This was a different Haruno Sakura, a lot different from the one who had knocked on her door and asked humbly to be trained. This Sakura was stronger emotionally, as well as physically and mentally. The slug Sannin was proud to be part of the success that was this kunoichi.

"I'm not going to go easy on you today, then," Tsunade warned, grinning.

Sakura grinned back. "I don't think you've ever been easy on me, Tsunade-shishou."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the lobby of the Hokage Tower, Naruto walked slowly, thinking about what was said in the briefing room.

"Oi, Naruto."

He turned, and he saw Shikamaru calling him, Ino beside him. He scowled, not forgetting what was said in the briefing room. "What do you want?"

"Uh…"

Ino nudged the embarrassed tactician. "Go on, Shikamaru," she hissed. Shikamaru sighed.

"How troublesome," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to say… I'm sorry. For what I said in the briefing room awhile ago. It's just… I wanted to spare you the trouble, I guess. But now that I think about it… it only caused more trouble."

Naruto grinned, clapping Shika on the back. "That's okay, lazy-ass. I forgive you. But you owe me. How about some ramen?"

Shika and Ino groaned. "Don't you eat anything besides ramen?" the blonde female asked.

"Well, I eat sweets," Naruto said, smiling brightly. "But ramen is my favorite food. I wonder how people lived without ramen when it wasn't invented yet."

"They probably still have live brain cells," Shikamaru muttered.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowing. Shikamaru shrugged.

"Nothing, nothing," he said. "Come on, Ino, we were going to train with Asuma-sensei and Chouji, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ino exclaimed. "Well, bye, Naruto! Have fun with your ramen!" With that, the two disappeared into the crowd.

"N-naruto-kun?" said a small voice behind him. Naruto turned and brightened up.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "You wanna go eat ramen with me?"

Hinata twiddled her thumbs, blushing furiously. "I – I-" She looked up and smiled bashfully at the grinning fox. "A-all right… But wouldn't y-you rather go with Sa-sakura-chan?"

"Nah, she's training with Tsunade no baachan," Naruto replied. "Besides, she's sick of ramen, I think. She's scarier when she gets mad now." He grabbed Hinata's hand, and the Hyuuga heir colored deeper. "Come on!"

* * *

_Ramen…_

_Ramen…_

_Ramen glorious ramen…_

_Naruto__…_

_Who's there?_

_Ramen…_

_Naruto__…_

_Wake up…_

_But my ramen…_

"Naruto! _Shannaro_(4), wake up!"

Naruto jolted up, and his bear cap fell into his eyes. "Eh?"

Sakura stood in front of his bed, her hands on her hips, in full big-sister element. "We're supposed to be at the gates by six in the morning, remember?"

"Cripes! I forgot!" Naruto cried, scrambling out of bed. "Just wait there, Sakura-chan, I'll be right out!" He grabbed his usual orange clothes, now with black shoulders instead of blue, the high white collar replaced by a black turtle neck. He ducked into the bathroom, hurriedly throwing off his nightclothes, brushing his teeth, and washing his face. Then he wore his orange-and-black sweater over his black shirt and hopped into his orange pants.

"Naruto, hurry! We have fifteen minutes! You still have to eat breakfast!" Sakura called.

He scrambled out of the bathroom, hurriedly tying his black-clothed hitai-ate around his forehead. "Here!" Sakura said, handing him a bowl of instant ramen and his backpack. "Eat on the way there."

"Ah, thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said. "I love you!"

"Don't push it, Naruto," Sakura said, scowling.

They both wore their footwear and walked out of the door. After a few minutes of silence (consisting mostly of Naruto slurping his ramen), Sakura asked, "Ne, Naruto?"

"Hmph?" Naruto asked as he chewed on the noodles.

"How do you think Sasuke is going to react?"

Naruto looked at Sakura, and frowned at the melancholy look she wore, something she did more often these days. Again, he noticed the lack of the affectionate term. He somehow missed the old Sakura, the one who was always happy and smiling. He supposed it was because she had her heart broken, even if it had been years before. This Sakura… she was stronger, smarter, and she didn't take any guff from anyone anymore, but she was getting more sad spells than ever.

_It's all _his_ fault, _Naruto thought angrily. _He left Sakura-chan… he always made Sakura-chan cry… I swear, when he gets back here… I'm going to kick his betraying ass!_

"Naruto?" Sakura asked as she stared at the blond fourteen year old, his teeth bared in anger. "Are you all right?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, Sakura-chan. Yeah, I'm okay."

"So…" Sakura ventured again. "How do you think he's going to react if he finds out we're going to bring him back by force?"

"The same way he reacted before," Naruto said darkly. "He'll fight us like he has never fought before. He's going to go berserk on us."

"…oh." Sakura looked thoughtful. "I see."

"Why do you want to know?" Naruto asked curiously. He could see an odd light of determination in his best female friend's green eyes, and he had a gut feeling it was not to his liking.

"Naruto," Sakura said, stopping in her tracks. They were alone on the streets. Naruto looked around. Why were they were stopping? Sakura had a serious look on her face.

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"On this mission, promise me one thing," she said.

"Okay," Naruto said cautiously.

Sakura took a deep breath. "Naruto. I want to fight Sasuke."

Naruto immediately regretted having said okay awhile ago. "You want to _what_?"

"I want to fight Sasuke," Sakura repeated. "Alone, without your help," she added. "So don't interfere."

Naruto looked worried. "But… but… he's so strong! I lost to him! I could probably match him now, but you-"

"Are you saying I haven't grown strong these past few years?" Sakura asked shrilly, the emotion, so long hidden, flooding her voice again. Naruto looked taken aback. "Are you saying I spent the last two and a half years slacking off? Because I wasn't! All these years, all I did was train and train so that I would become just as strong as you and Sasuke-_kun_! I wanted you guys to acknowledge that all three of us are equal, even if Sasuke-kun's not with us anymore! I wanted you guys to see that I could become stronger too, that I could grow too, that you two are not the only ones who are going to settle this, because this is _my_ fight too!"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto murmured, feeling at a loss for words.

"On that night… on that night when he left… the old me started to die," Sakura continued, tears starting to stream down her eyes. "I cried and cried, until my eyes had no more tears left. And then the Sakura you knew died. I'm not the Sakura you knew. I may still laugh and talk and play like her, but inside… I've grown. I'm more mature now, I can handle things I never used to handle before. That experience… of losing a precious person, has killed the old me, and produced a stronger me. I'm not going to just stay back and cry while you two battle it out. Never again. I'm going to fight too.

"On that night… I couldn't stop him with my words. I couldn't stop him with the love I offered. That's why now… I'm going to fight him. You fought him, it didn't work. Maybe now, if we switched roles, if you offer him words and I offer him punches, or if we worked together and interweave our techniques, maybe we can get him to come back."

"There!" Naruto exclaimed. "You just said it! We should work together! We're going to get him back _together,_ okay?"

"We're going to get him back together," Sakura agreed. "But-"

"But?"

"But I'm going to fight him. I'm going to show him that even if he stayed in the village, he would still become stronger, because even a weakling like me got stronger just by staying here." Then she grinned amid her tears, surprising her best male friend. "And I want to make him pay for all the sufferings he made me go through."

"But then I don't think you would've had the drive to become stronger if he hadn't left," Naruto mused, picking up the pace again, and Sakura walked beside him once more. "That's mainly the reason why you started training under Tsunade no baachan, right? So that you'd become strong enough to get him back."

"That's right," Sakura murmured. "We're going to get him back, because now we're both stronger. But Naruto, _promise_ me you'll let me fight him on my own."

"But Sakura-cha-"

"Promise me," she repeated, stopping their walk again.

Naruto stopped. Then he grinned and offered his pinkie. "As long as you let me step in if you're near death or something. Deal?"

Sakura laughed and linked pinkies with Naruto. "You bet."

The eleven selected shinobi gathered at the gate of Konoha, waiting for instruction.

"Are we all here?" Shikamaru asked.

"Aa," Neji replied. "Explain the formation, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded. "So this is what we'll do. Neji will go first with Kiba. Since Neji has the best sense of sight aside from Hinata, and Kiba has the best sense of smell, as well as the best knowledge of the terrain, they can warn us if enemies or traps are ahead us.

"Tenten and I will go next. When Neji or Kiba give me a signal that something's coming, I can warn you guys, or else stop your movement with my Kage Mane no Jutsu(5). And since Tenten is a long-range fighter, she can ward off enemies before they get to you.

"Sakura will come next. Since she has quick reflexes, she can easily warn the others behind her at the same time parry any attacks that I or Tenten let in accidentally.

"Naruto comes next with Chouji. With Naruto's explosive attitude, even before the attack can reach the others at the back, or the front if the attack comes from the back, it has already been stopped or reduced at a great percentage by him. Chouji has to be there too, since he has great physical strength.

"Lee and Ino follow Naruto and Chouji. Lee has great reflexes, while Ino can do long ranged attacks. Lee has the same functions as Sakura and Ino the same functions as Tenten, but since she'll fall immobile while performing her jutsu, Lee has to be there to take care of her body.

"Shino comes after them. He can send bugs to warn us, at the same time parry any attacks coming from behind, and vice versa. He'll also have the job of covering Hinata and Akamaru, who come last.

"Since Hinata also has the Byaakugan, she can spot any enemies coming from behind, and Akamaru can smell enemies as well. Everyone will be fitted with earpieces, even Akamaru, so that whatever Akamaru says Kiba can translate."

Shikamaru looked around. "Any questions?" Everyone shook their head. Neji handed out earpieces, which everyone attached to their ears. Kiba attached one to Akamaru's collar.

"Okay," Neji said in commanding tone, "fall into positions. Let's go!"

Everyone fell into position and they leapt into the trees, out of sight.

* * *

_And so it begins_, Tsunade thought to herself as she watched from her window the eleven young shinobi speeding out of Konoha.

She cuddled the piglet she had in her arms. "These are going to be interesting times, after two and a half years of boredom," she mused. She rubbed the chubby animal under its chin. "Ne, Tonton?"

"Bwee!"

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Sakura: **If we look at the moon, the stars, and the sky at the same time, we achieve some kind of connection. Do you still feel it? Why do I still feel things for you? Why do I remember the past with you? I can't… not on this mission… Great, now I'm confused.

Next chapter… _Forest__ of Memories__ – Unwavering Feelings._

I can't believe I'm still in love with you…

* * *

**AN:** (1) Ninja Skill: Mind-Body Switch Technique

(2) Release

(3) Heaven and Earth

(4) Damn it

(5) Shadow Copy Technique

Please tell me what you think! If I don't get at least 10 reviews, then I'll trash this fic while it's still early. Ciao, guys!


	2. Forest of Memories – Unwavering Feelings

**AN:** Uwah, I can finally post the second chapter! Thanks to the people who convinced me to! I got exactly **double** of the amount I asked for, in just one week!

Special thanks to: **PrincessChii** (first reviewer!), **the DragonBard**, **Sasuchimaru**, **Only Secret, Isiri, SoulShine, BloodySakuraLeaves, Blood red nin, Patty, MariQ, Great Saiyaman, joekool **(I already gave some idea... check out my first chappie's AN... ;D), **Hinata-hime **(I also want to see! It's soon, I think)**, Celestartial Blossoms, rhiannon, BlackFeatherz29, Emily Raven, Dragon Man 180** (I got the idea from ep 110 where Shika-kun arranged them), **Mistress DragonFlame, Oukaru Hanako** (my best net friend!)... and those who read but didn't leave a review... and those who put me on author/story alert... It's you guys who keep me going!

This chapter is a stand-alone SasuSaku with a bit of the other pairings. It's only to show that the feelings are still there. But if you're not much of a romance lover, you can skip this part.

**Warning: **Spoilers for some episodes containing SasuSaku moments. You'll know which they are.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Forest of Memories – Unwavering Feelings

* * *

**

The eleven shinobi journeyed in silence, the only sound to be heard being the crickets chirping, the air whipping around their bodies as they moved quickly, and the soft crackle of the static from their transmitters. Darkness was setting in, and soon they had to stop and rest.

So far, they had been journeying towards the Grass territory without meeting any obstacles. They traveled great distances by day, and rested up by night, so when Shino sent his bugs to find the nearest humans to their destination, they found that they were not far off.

All Sakura and Naruto could think about was Sasuke. While Sakura waited in nervous anticipation of their expected fight, Naruto's excitement, angry or otherwise, bubbled up every now and then, though he never let it get in the way of his usual cheerful demeanor.

They were going to settle everything on that day when they would finally meet again. They were going to bring back Sasuke any way possible, even if, as Naruto told Sakura the previous day, they had to drag him screaming and kicking by the ear.

Neji's voice came crackling into the transmitter. "Guys, let's stop now," he ordered. All of them halted their movements as soon as Neji was in sight. When everyone was gathered, he nodded. "Well, I guess we camp out here for the night."

Everyone leapt from the trees and onto the ground. "I'll go gather wood," Tenten said cheerily. Neji nodded.

"I'll go with you," he said. Tenten only smiled gratefully and nodded back, happiness alight in her eyes. She was going to be alone with Neji, and she never passed up the chance. The Hyuuga shook his head, amused.

He turned to the rest of the team. "Naruto, Sakura, it's your turn to keep a lookout tonight, so rest for a while. Girls," he added, looking at Hinata and Ino, "you had better cook up. Kiba, Shikamaru, since our supply of dry foods is dwindling, I think you had better hunt. The rest of you, set up tents and such. And whatever you do," he looked around them all sternly, "don't let down your guard."

Everyone gave a murmur of assent as the two older shinobi jumped into the trees. "Come on, Shikamaru," Kiba said, beckoning him.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered under his breath, but he went and followed Kiba anyway. Hinata and Ino started the fire kindling, while Lee, Shino, and Chouji set up the tents. Naruto leaned against a tree and went to sleep right away. Sakura took a blanket from her pack, wrapped it around herself, and closed her eyes.

Even in her sleep, the thought of Sasuke was not far from her mind. Memories flooded her dreams as she napped under the trees.

_Sakura jumped in front of their charge, kunai ready. "Mister, stay behind me!" she yelled._

_"Y-yes!"_

_She braced herself for the attack. Just then…_

_A blur of black and blue, then a figure, arms raised protectively in front of her, his back to her. Then, his voice._

_"Stand down!"_

Sakura's features softened into a small smile.

_"I always get right answers in all of the exams. I memorized over a hundred shinobi sayings. One day, in one test, there was a question…"_

_"What is shinobi saying number 25? And I wrote down the answer as usual…"_

_She looked at his handsome, lifeless face, and his body, pierced by many needles._

_"A shinobi… mustn't show tears… The top priority is the mission… and emotions must come later…"_

_And her tears fell onto his shirt._

Sakura mumbled a little, turning in her blanket. She sniffled, as though she was about to cry, but her tears were yet to come.

_"Sakura…"_

_She gasped as her name escaped his lips. "S-sasuke-kun…?" Her eyes widened in realization. "Sasuke-kun, you're alive!"_

_"Urgh… Sakura… you're heavy…"_

_"I'm so happy, Sasuke-kun!" She hugged him tight._

_"Sakura… that… that hurts… stop that…"_

Again, a smile crept up to her face, remembering the good times with him. But then, a few weeks after that…

_Sakura caught sight of his face, and she sucked in her breath. His eyes were red with the Sharingan, and he had marks all over his body. Evil chakra swirled around him, giving her a feeling of intense fear. Her breath quickened. "Sakura…" he said quietly, bloodlust clear in his narrowed eyes. Sakura didn't want to believe it, however. She couldn't speak; she was frightened out of her wits._

_"Sakura," he said again. "Who did that to you?" She could only stare at him and the marks all over his body. _

_When she didn't answer, he demanded, "Who?"_

_"Sasuke-kun?" she asked, when she finally found her voice, even as it trembled in fear. "Your body…"_

_He looked at his hands, the black marks of the curse seal all over it. "Don't worry," he said calmly. "Not only that, I feel power overflowing within my body." He clenched his fist. "I feel great." A pause, and then, he continued, "_He_ gave it to me. I finally understand it. I'm an avenger. Even if I must take the devil's fruit, I'm on a path where I must gain power." _

_Staring at the Sound nins, he demanded roughly, "Sakura, tell me! Who hurt you?"_

_The nin called Zaku piped up, "I did."_

_Sasuke focused his attention to him, the red wheels of his eyes swirling. Zaku only smirked, and Sakura wondered why he couldn't feel the distinct aura of evil around Sasuke._

She tossed and turned under her blanket, her sleep disturbed.

_Sakura stared as Sasuke took hold of Zaku's arms, then put his foot on the nin's back. A sadistic grin played on the face of the boy she loved. "So," Sasuke asked smoothly, the cruelty not leaving his red eyes, "you're proud of these arms?" He then pulled on the arms as if to twist them off his body. Zaku choked for him to stop._

_Sakura watched in horror as Sasuke pulled on the arms harder, inhaling sharply and trembling. Zaku screamed in pain, and Sakura wanted to scream as well, but her vocal cords seemed to be unresponsive. Sasuke threw his limp body away from him. He focused his crazed eyes on the other Sound nin, Dosu. "You're the only one left." Dosu shuddered at Sasuke's insane grin. "I hope… you let me have a little more fun."_

_He walked slowly towards the trembling Dosu. Sakura followed him with her eyes as he passed her, her eyes anguished and confused._

_And then, she realized that this wasn't the Sasuke-kun she knew and loved. She had no idea how she knew, she just _did_. Tears welled up her eyes. She stood up, took a deep breath to strengthen her resolve, and ran forward._

_"STOP!"_

_She threw her arms around him, resting her head against his back. He glanced at her with his crazed Sharingan eyes. She could feel her tears flowing freely down her cheek. "Please…" she said in a would-be calm voice. "…stop…"_

_He continued to stare at her, and she looked imploringly back at him. As if by magic, the curse seal slowly receded back to the original one on his neck._

A lone crystalline tear fell down Sakura's cheek as she turned under her blanket, a moan of sadness escaping her lips.

_Sakura was beyond worried now, but she knew she had to stay calm. She had to think rationally. The boys weren't, so she felt it was up to her to think things through. She could hear Gaara, half-transformed into a monster, talk to Naruto in murderous tones in the background, but all she could think of right now was Sasuke, keeled over in pain because of the curse seal spreading all over his body._

_"We're going to run now, everyone!" Naruto yelled in panic, turning to them. But as he yelled, a brown blur moved past him._

_Sakura turned quickly, and saw that Gaara had jumped past Naruto towards Sasuke. She had to act fast. She had no choice._

_"Die, Uchiha Sasuke!" Gaara snarled._

_She moved, kunai in hand, in front of Sasuke. She could feel her teammates' eyes on her, and she could see the monster's horrible face up close. She was trembling in fright, but nothing was as imperative as protecting Sasuke at that moment. Her eyes hardened in determination, her jaw set._

_"Sakura-chaaaaan!"__ Naruto yelled. Gaara's eyes widened for a fraction of a second._

_"Get out of the way!" he shouted, bringing his large hand towards her._

_It happened so fast. She felt the hand make contact on her body, and a nanosecond later she was slammed onto a tree. She gave a shout as pain spread all over her, and her eyesight slowly went black. Her hearing was slowly fading too. She could hear screams, shouts, and explosions, and she was losing the sense of time, but she couldn't muster the strength to watch anymore. The sand was constricting her breath. The last conscious particles of her mind formed a simple conclusion: she could very well die._

_"Sasuke-kun, Naruto…"_

_Did I do well?_

Ino watched as Sakura mumbled in her sleep, her brow creasing. She thought about how little Sakura had smiled these past few days. She hoped, for Sakura's sake, the mission would turn out well.

_She could see his back turned to her through her tears. "I know what happened to your clan. But with revenge alone, you will not be able to make anyone happy." A cloud passed over the moon, darkening the place. "No one…" she continued, her voice silent. "Neither you, or me…"_

_"I know that," he said. She gave a sound of surprise. "I am different from you guys. I follow a different path from you guys. The four of us together… it's true I've thought of it as one possible path. But despite that, my heart has chosen revenge. That's what I live for. I can't be like you or Naruto."_

_She stepped forward, anguished. "Aren't you going to be lonely by yourself? Sasuke-kun, you told me that being alone is painful! I know that very well, so much that it hurts!" Tears dropped faster on the ground. "I have family and friends. But… if you leave, for me…" she choked, "to me, it's the same thing as being alone!"_

_He said quietly, "From now on, new paths will start." She stepped forward._

_"I…" she cried, "I love you more than anything!"_

_"If you are by my side," she sobbed, feeling more and more desperate, "I will make sure you won't regret it. I will make every day more enjoyable, and you will be happy! I would do anything for you! That's why… I beg of you! Please stay here!" She cried desperately, "I will even help you with your revenge! There must be something I can do! That's why…" her voice became smaller, "…please… stay here with me…"_

_The moon reappeared from behind the cloud. She took a deep breath as she tried to contain herself. "If that's not possible…" she continued, "…please take me with you…" She sobbed a little louder. _

_He turned to her, his smirk and his eyes cold. "After all this, you're still annoying." _

_She gasped, and he turned to walk away again. She took a step nearer. "Don't go!" She ran after him. "If you go, I'll scream and-"_

_He disappeared from his spot, and the next thing she knew, he was behind her. A cold wind blew past, making her skin form goose bumps. Not a word was said. Then… _

_"Sakura."__ How she loved the way her name sounded when he said it. _

_"…thank you…"_

_She did a sharp intake of breath. The wind weaved in and out of her light crimson locks. She didn't know what to think._

_Thump._

_She fell. _

_There was one last thought in her mind before her sight went dark._

"Sasuke… kun…" she whispered under her breath. She raised her hand in her sleep as she tried to reach out to him. She opened her eyes, realizing that she was reaching out to thin air.

Her cheeks felt wet, and she felt a pain in her chest. She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, Kami, why now…?" she asked, more to herself. "I can't… I can't cry… not while on this mission… not on this mission…"

She felt so vulnerable and weak. How could she prove herself to Sasuke if she was like this? She took a deep breath to steady herself, and she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

"Sakura-chan?" She looked up, and Ino and Hinata were there, bent near her, their eyes deeply concerned. "Is there anything wrong…?" Hinata asked.

Sakura forced out a laugh. "I just had a silly nightmare, that's all," she said in a falsely cheery tone.

Ino frowned, knowing she was hiding her true feelings, but she knew better than to push the subject. "All right, Sakura-chan, but if you want to talk about it, me and Hinata-chan, and Tenten-san are all here to listen, 'kay?"

Sakura nodded, grateful Ino didn't push it. She didn't want to talk about it, let alone think about it.

She ate dinner in silence, while the others chatted animatedly around the fire. Ino grilled a blushing Tenten about her time with Neji, while Hinata laughed and Naruto nudged a certain annoyed (albeit red) Hyuuga genius. Kiba and Shikamaru were recounting how the rabbits they had caught were hunted down while Shino, Lee, and Chouji had disgusted looks on their faces.

They were so happy. They were not thinking of the mission at hand, and she couldn't be as carefree as them. Normally, she would've been joking with them, but now, she just did feel like it. This mission was affecting her in a very negative way.

After dinner, everyone went straight to bed. There were three tents, and in each tent three slept. Sakura quelled the campfire, and went to join Naruto atop a tree, acting as a lookout.

"The stars are out tonight," he said, looking up at the sky above. She sat on the branch next to him.

"It brings back memories…" she murmured.

"Memories?" Naruto asked. "What sort of memories?" At her sad look, he knew right away. "Of him?" She looked down on her lap, an invisible hand squeezing her heart.

"There was one night…" she began…

_The stars littered the sky that night. Atop a cliff jutting out of a tree-filled hill, under the night sky and above the thick growth of the forest below, were two figures, apparently sitting next to each other, keeping each other warm._

_"When do you think Kakashi-sensei and Naruto-kun will be back with firewood?"_

_"Ch. They're taking too long."_

_The only girl in Team 7 laughed. "I know… it's almost like… they've left us alone. Do you think they're hurt?"_

_"Not Kakashi. And the moron… his head is too hard to crack. They should be fine."_

_Sakura giggled, this being one of the few times she was comfortable with Sasuke. A chill wind blew, and instinctively, both moved closer together. Sakura wrapped her arms around her knees. "It's unusually chilly, for a summer night." Sakura raised her head to the heavens as Sasuke nodded in agreement. "And the stars are so many tonight."_

_Sasuke looked at the direction she was looking. It was true. They could see so many scattered in the wide open universe, stretching for as far as the eye could see. "And the moon is full…" she continued softly. " I can see the rabbit…"_

_"Rabbit?"__ The comment was strange._

_"Ee.__ My mother often told me that there was one rabbit who served the moon goddess so loyally…"_

_"…and it was honored forever by being able to be in the sky each night, making rice cakes for her."_

_Sakura looked at Sasuke. "You know the story?"_

_"Aa," he replied, but deigned to say anything else._

_Sakura was murmuring, more to herself. "My father often tells me… That if you are far away from a loved one, you should take comfort in the fact you're both under the same sky. But it means so much more… if you're both looking at the sky at the same time… It's like you have a connection."_

"That sounds sensible," Naruto now said as Sakura recounted the story to him.

"I believed what my father said," Sakura said, playing with her beige skirt for a time. "But…" She sighed. "I felt guilty after mentioning my parents. I knew he could get sensitive about that stuff, but I still rambled on."

"And what did he do?" Naruto asked.

_Suddenly, Sakura gasped and looked up. She turned quickly to the boy beside her. His expression was unreadable, but Sakura felt a sudden pang of guilt. "I-I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun!" she apologized hastily. "I-I forgot how sensitive you were… about families…" She looked at him apologetically. "Are you all right? You're quiet all of a sudden-"_

_"It's nothing," Sasuke snapped. "Now keep quiet about it. I don't want to hear anything about your _happy_ life and your _happy _family." Sakura was taken aback. And here she was thinking they had finally made some kind of intimate connection, that finally, she had a breakthrough in her mission to soften the avenger's hard heart._

But now she thought about it… _to soften the avenger's hard heart_… How could she do such a thing? He was an avenger through and through… he could never change the way his heart was… not unless he gave up being an avenger.

Sasuke would not be Sasuke, if he gave up. If he gave up on his life's goal, what would happen to him? He would have nothing to live for, only pursuing a selfish purpose for living, for himself by himself. Whereas, if he continued living as an avenger, he would at least feel, if he died after he fulfilled his revenge, that he had accomplished something.

Part of loving was learning to let go, after all. She would have to be content to watching him, loving and caring for him, from afar. _If we ever got him back, that is. _She bit her lip.

Naruto watched her expression, his heart going out to the heartbroken girl. "And then what?"

_She stood up abruptly, and turned to leave. His head snapped up._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"I'm going to check on Naruto and Kakashi-sensei."_

_And she turned on her heel and left._

"And you just left?" Naruto asked. "That's it?"

"I pretty much gave up on that night," Sakura said softly, letting the gentle breeze blow her hair askew. "Of course, a few days after that, I was myself again, you know, asking him out and caring for him and stuff. But something changed that night." She looked at the moon. "I learned the hard way that there's no real way to get around him."

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Naruto considered. "I _tried_ being his friend. Goodness knows I tried. I even thought I'd manage to do it too, but that was before he left." He watched Sakura squirm uncomfortably at the fact, and he decided to change the topic. "So, so!" he said cheerfully. "What's happened at home these past two and a half years? What has Hinata-chan been saying about me?"

Sakura was glad at Naruto's sensitivity. She grinned. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

The two talked into the night about the question at hand, but their minds often lingered somewhere else.

_Even if we're apart, we still look up at the same sky._

_It's our one connection we haven't lost yet. All the people, if they live under the same sky, they are connected. And so are we. But… I feel that we can only truly connect… if we look up at the same time…_

_I'm still hoping…_

_Wherever you are, it's the same blue blanket we're under during the day, and the same black velvet we're under at night._

_But do you even look up anymore? Do you think of some other thing besides training? Do you relax once in a while, without me or Naruto or Kakashi-sensei forcing you to? Do you look up at the glimmering stars, or at the pale moon, and remember our days together?_

_I miss you terribly._

_Please look up the same sky tonight._

_Like I am.

* * *

_

_If we look at the same sky, right at the same time, we still would have some remaining connection. If we wished on the same star, a wish that involves both of us, then it might come true. If we looked at the moon, it would connect us. If we had the same thought… the same intentions of looking at the sky, then we would feel each other's presence. That was what you told me. That's what I struggled to understand._

_Are you looking at the sky tonight? Can you still remember me? Have the others forgiven me? Will they hate me?_

_Will you?_

_I don't wish for forgiveness. I don't dream about it. But I certainly would like to know if you would._

_You said… it meant so much more if both were looking at the sky at the same time… then the connection would be there…_

The sky was cloudless, and like the old rhyme said, the stars were like diamonds in the sky. They were small glimmers, like rhinestone scattered across black velvet.

His raven hair, now reaching his chin and framing his still handsome face, flew around as wind whipped around him. He put his hands in his pockets. His coal black eyes mirrored the stars above.

He often looked at the stars like this. It reminded him of wonderful times, and very wonderful memories. Not that he wished he could go back to those times again… they were to stay as precious memories and nothing more.

Training was everything, now. He didn't know just how strong _that man_ was now. He could've gotten better in the span of two and a half years. He knew that _he_ had gotten strong tenfold in that span of time. The thought of the unknown about his brother made him fear, but it also gave him direction and determination. Nothing was going to stop him now.

Except…

Thoughts of the people he had left – no, _betrayed_ was a better word – still managed to invade his mind. He hated having to remember them, their happy, shining faces, their joyful laughter, and their hysterical antics. To him, during training, it only served as a distraction. Those were better left as memories to think about at night, when he was alone.

And _her_… there was something about his memories about her that made his heart do odd things. Like he was _guilty,_ but he often told himself this was impossible. If he could kill without hesitation or remorse, why would he feel guilty over a little thing like her? Matters of the heart were definitely not his expertise.

_It's _her_ expertise,_ a part of himself told him. He wondered vaguely, had he allowed her to follow him here, if she would tell him what this strange feeling was. She was always good at explaining abstract ideas like that.

He had grown, that was something definite. His training with the snake bastard (as he called him in private) was paying off. However, reflections of the old life he had were coming back to him now more than ever, and they were things that not even training could distract him from.

Something was going to happen. Definitely.

(He liked having things definite. He was not good at anything with abstract thought. Like feeling, for example.)

All the signs were there. He felt different. He felt nervous at times he didn't need to be. His tea cup cracked right in the middle for no reason the other day, although he was not one to believe in superstitions. Something was coming.

"Sasuke-kun?"

His name with the affectionate term, something he hated, sliced through his thoughts sharply, ringing in his ears. He scowled darkly. There were many things that irritated him easily, and having his thoughts interrupted was one of them. "What," he said, more of a statement than a question, knowing without looking that it was Kabuto who had spoken.

"We're all set to leave for Hidden Grass."

"Hn." It was an instantaneous reply, as though by instinct. "I'm coming."

"All right." There was a flurry of leaves, and Kabuto vanished.

Sasuke looked at the stars, the moon, and the sky. _It seems we might be able to meet up soon._

_Naruto..._

He smirked.

_Let's see… how strong you've become, staying in that comfortable little village of _yours.

He turned on his heel and casually walked away, his hands in his pockets.

_I wonder if you can prove me wrong.

* * *

_

A strong gust of wind blew as Sakura watched the shadows in the moon's pale face. A shiver went up her spine, and she froze momentarily, her eyes wide.

"… and so I told Ero Sennin that I-" Naruto stopped his storytelling suddenly. "Sakura-chan, what's wrong?"

Sakura wrapped her hands around her arms, feeling a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach.

"He knows."

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Naruto**The Sound bastards are here! Whohoo! I finally can show everyone the results of my great training!

What's this? The others are stronger too! Now I'm really burning to show everyone how much I've improved. And… _him_! We get him right off the bat? And Sakura wants to fight him real bad! Since when did she start wanting to hurt him?

Next chapter, _Light Piercing Darkness – Sasuke versus Sakura._

Sakura's scary when she gets angry…

* * *

**AN:** Okay, how was that? Was that a bit long? Tell me what you think in a review!

To those who reviewed, you all get a Yummy Bears! cookie, courtesy of the sponsors of my other (wildly popular... heh) fic, "Bastard". Nyao!

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	3. Light Piercing Darkness SasukeVsSakura

**AN:** Hey all! Here's chapter 3! We'll have some fight scenes in here. This'll be so much fun!

Special thanks to: **warprince2000, Kawaii-Hisui **(Yeah, I think that was one of my better ideas)**, Dragon Man 180 **(it's for them to know and for us to find out...)**, GirlWaterShaman, Sirus180, Oukaru Hanako **(every word I said about you was true. God, luv ya)**, Only Secret **(ooh, cookies! Thanks!)**, Kireiko, PrincessChii, BlackFeatherz29 **(I try not to rush... hee... nope, definitely SASUSAKU!), **KaiKaiCutie **(ehe, it's based on another quote)**, neu chi no nai u, Celestial Love, Hinata-hime, Lily Fairy, Darkness Dragon Guardian, rhiannon **(if you noticed, Naruto has A LOT of flashbacks, yeah, they get irritating, but I try to follow the show as much as possible without sacrificing the fic's identity, peace!)... and all those who read the second chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Light Piercing Darkness – Sasuke versus Sakura

* * *

**

The sky of the fourth day was getting darker, but there was no time for rest. They were almost there. Neji leapt from tree to tree, and he could see that from behind, Shikamaru and the others were doing the same. Beside him, Kiba was on alert, sniffing ever so often.

Neji had a gut feeling they were getting closer. The feeling of dread intensified in his veins. He believed he was strong, and he believed that he could manage his team well, but there was something in this mission that made him want to turn on his tail and run away. It wasn't so intense that he was having second thoughts, though.

Maybe it was because he knew that the subject (he was too angry at him to call him by name anymore, he'd lost all respect for him) was strong when he left Konoha, though probably not as strong as Neji was now. _But if I've grown stronger, that only means _he_ has too. Maybe even more, since it's Orochimaru he's under._

His insides squirmed once more at the thought of the Snake Sannin. He'd never seen him, but after being pitted against one of his subordinates, he could only imagine how strong (and ugly) Orochimaru was. _He's one of the Legendary Sannin, _he recalled. _And _he_ is his student. The Legendary Sannin are probably equal in strength. Jiraiya-sama is the late Yondaime's sensei, while Shizune-san is the Hokage-sama's apprentice, and both students are exceptional. _His white eyes narrowed. _If the pattern goes on, then _he's_ probably quite strong._

His Byakuugan eyes focused a bit on the two key players in his team. _That could also mean those two are a lot stronger too, maybe even as strong as _he_ is. I've seen Sakura show a bit of her power on the last mission, but Naruto's power remains to be seen. _His Byakuugan saw many things, and this time, he could see the determination in both their eyes, so very unlike the mischievous look Naruto often sported, or the demure appearance that was on Sakura's face more often these days.

_I hope you guys are ready for what's about to come._

"Oi, Neji, we're almost there," Kiba called from beside him, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Any plans?"

He signaled for Shikamaru to stop. Within moments, all eleven shinobi were gathered in one place. "We're nearly there. We have to approach with extreme caution this time; we don't know where the Sound nins are lurking. Any plans, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru sighed as though weary of the world. "I guess we have to split up into teams and look for Sasuke. We can go with the three-man cell we were assigned to during our genin days. Don't separate from your team; there's strength in numbers. Under no circumstances are you guys going to go near Tenchi Bridge, since Orochimaru is going to be there. We can't engage with a Sannin, that's just too troublesome. I _would _advise you guys to look in the inns, or in the forest, since he could be training.

"We won't communicate with the transmitters for a while, since the lines could cross and the enemy might hear what we're saying. But once we get Sasuke, the ones who found him can tell us and the exact location he's in. Then we'll go help restrain him. Neji, Hinata, since both of you can seal chakra points now, you have to seal his if you find him. The rest of us have to make do with a chakra rope."

Shikamaru looked around them all. "I'm sure you know by now, Sasuke has the curse seal. He can't use it right away, because if the information is right, it can take over his mind permanently if he uses it too much. But you never know, so when he uses the curse seal, it would be advisable to run away until we come to help you." He looked at Sakura and Naruto. "But you two… you guys know more about Sasuke with the seal activated than we do. So engage him by all means, I guess. But you had better call us in for backup. And if someone else other than you guys find Sasuke first, you have to go there the fastest, since you're the only ones who can really handle Sasuke, especially you, Naruto. Any objections, questions, clarifications… violent reactions?"

"If we run into Orochimaru's minions, are we going to engage or proceed to Sasuke?" Kiba asked. "I mean, they won't let us off easily."

"As much as possible, engage," Neji replied for Shikamaru. "But save your chakra for the main target. Tell everyone else the location and we'll come to help."

"All right, I think that's it," Shikamaru told Neji.

"Aa," Neji muttered. He turned to Sakura and Hinata. "You two are medic nins, so when you girls know someone is injured, don't fight until that person is healed. We're going to need your skills now more than ever." Both girls nodded, and Neji turned to the rest of the group. "All right, let's go!"

The eleven shinobi separated into four groups and sped into Hidden Grass.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura sped into town, looking into inns and restaurants. There was no sign of the Uchiha heir. Once or twice they inquired at the inns, only to find out the one they were looking for wasn't there.

Sakura was getting desperate. They had been trying to find him for several minutes now. Naruto waited for her as she described Sasuke to an innkeeper. "Are you sure, miss?" she pleaded. "He hasn't passed by at all? He's taller than me, with black hair that sticks out on end and black eyes, and he has a red and white fan on the back of his shirt." Getting frantic, she added, "He's really good looking. Surely-"

"Miss," the innkeeper sighed exasperatedly, "if he's as good looking as you say he is, then I would've taken note. I haven't seen him. I'm sorry."

They walked out of the inn, frustrated. "Maybe he isn't in town, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "Maybe he's training in the forest. Or his appearance has changed; that has got to be it."

"Well, I guess that's better then," Sakura mumbled. "If he's not here, then we wouldn't have to involve civilians."

"We got a lead," Tenten's voice said in the transmitter. Sakura strained to listen. "Forest."

"Roger," Sakura muttered into the mouth piece. "We're going." She turned to Naruto. "Looks like your hunch was right. Come on."

* * *

Fire raged in the training ground, singeing the grass. A blur raced around and threw kunai in the air. Blood spurted into the air, and a nanosecond later, eleven birds were pinned on trees.

Sasuke frowned as he stopped. _There were _twelve_ birds, _he thought, irritated with himself. _Where did the other one go?_

Something was distracting him that night. He couldn't tell what it was; all he knew was that something big was coming. He knew Orochimaru was meeting with some guy from Sand, and from the looks of it the Snake Sannin was planning something Herculean, but as of now, he couldn't care less. It wasn't _that_ that bothered him… instinct told him as much.

"Sasuke-sama," said someone from the shadows.

"Hn."

"There are people heading this way. From the looks of it, they come from Konoha."

His eyes narrowed. Ah, so he was right. Something big_ was_ happening. "Did you see who they were?"

"So far, all we've seen are kids, Sasuke-sama, about your age. They might not be too much trou-"

"Don't underestimate them," Sasuke interrupted. "Whatever you do, don't underestimate them. They're going to be your downfall if you do." _Though that's not entirely bad…_

"Sasuke-sama," a new voice said. "There's a kid with an ugly bowl cut who's taking out the guards posted around the entrance of the forest. There's a girl with a whole arsenal of weapons and a boy with eyes that seem to see everything also heading this way. What should we do?"

"Moron." He said the word by reflex. He felt the person in the shadows shift and dared him silently to attack him. He needed to vent off a little steam. When his subordinate didn't, however, he instructed, "Take them out. I don't know about the girl, but the guy has the Byakuugan, if I'm not mistaken. It's useless to use surprise attacks or long-ranged ones. If you hit him while he's near, hit him good, because if he retaliates it's going to hurt."

_So there are three of them, _Sasuke thought. _There has to be more. They're coming not to stop the snake bastard's meeting, but to get me again. They know how dangerous it is to face me with three people alone. I wonder if _he's_ in the team. _He smirked. _Knowing him, he probably is. _

He looked off to the far-off distance as two of his guard sped off. _This is going to be _very_ interesting.

* * *

_

"Who knew Sasuke would have this many guards?" Chouji said, feeling wobbly. "I can't do the Meat Tank successively… it makes me too dizzy."

Shikamaru blocked an incoming attack with a kunai. "You don't think they were planning to attack Grass, do you?"

"How should I know?" Ino replied as she flipped up and landed on a Sound nin's head, making him crash headfirst to the ground. "You're the genius around here!"

"Hey, even geniuses cave in," Shikamaru said, ducking under a punch and delivering his own into his opponent's stomach. He turned on his transmitter. "How're you guys doing there, Kiba?"

"Heh, it's nothing," the dog lover replied as he fought without even using any jutsus. "These guys were just sent to delay us, I think." He dodged a kick from a Sound nin and held the foot used to deliver the kick. He threw the poor nin to a tree.

"They're running away from Shino-kun's Kikai," Hinata murmured into her transmitter as she pushed chakra into an enemy without too much effort.

"Some people just don't appreciate bugs," Shino muttered, directing the Kikai's course towards the Sound nins, who were cornered. The Kikai surrounded them and crawled onto them, eating up the little chakra the nins had. Shino sighed as he punched a guy coming from behind him without even looking. "Kiba's right. These guys aren't even second-rate. They were just sent to delay us."

"You guys are lucky," Shikamaru said as he stabbed another nin to prevent him from attacking Chouji. "Security's tighter here. We're closer than the rest of you."

"We're finishing up here," Neji's voice said. "We'll go help you guys. Sakura, Naruto, where are you?"

"Near Shikamaru's position," Sakura replied, sounding bored. "We've finished our share of guards."

"Heh," Naruto only mumbled. "I pounded them to a pulp. I didn't even have to use much chakra."

_These guys… _Shikamaru thought, amazed, as he pushed Ino away from an incoming attack. _Here we are, out of our breaths, and them… they're fighting the same type of enemies, and they don't sound tired at all. What _are_ they?_

"Oops," Sakura said into the radio. "I spoke too soon. There's still more. I think we're really close now."

In front of Sakura and Naruto stood a small army of Sound nins, all looking stronger than the first batch. "We won't let you get near Sasuke-sama," one them hissed.

"Kill them!"

"Hey, if we can knock them unconscious, can I get the girl?"

"Really, what utter nonsense," Sakura said under her breath. "As if!" She took one of them by the collar and threw him towards the others, knocking out about four or five of the opponent. "Me? Knocked unconscious by these mediocre ninjas?" She flicked her gloved finger out and hit one of the Sound nins, sending him flying to a tree. "_And_ taken captive? Ha! Not by these idiots!"

_Geez__, when did Sakura-chan gain such bravado? _Naruto asked himself as he kicked another nin in the stomach. _Tsunade__ no baachan must be rubbing off her… That strength must come from her too…_

"Watch your mouth, little girl!" one of their enemies yelled, coming at her, fists raised. She only raised a foot directed at the nin's stomach. He came towards her and accidentally threw himself on her foot, knocking himself out.

"No way are we going to lose to a weakling like you!" another said, and his mates yelled their approval. "You're just a girl!"

Naruto felt this was going too far. Could these Sound idiots be anymore stupid? _Even after watching Sakura-chan show her insane strength, they still call her weak?_

"Are you calling me weak?" Sakura murmured, smiling dangerously. The nins coming at her hesitated, but came at her anyway. "You shouldn't-" She raised her hand and punched the ground, "-underestimate a kunoichi!" she cried, her voice ringing out in the forest.

Naruto winced as the ground seemingly exploded at the force of Sakura's punch, throwing the nins away. The pink-haired medic stood up from her position, her breathing shallow and her eyes almost wild. _Yep, she's angry._

"Warn Sasuke-sama!" one of the few conscious ones cried, speeding into the forest. Naruto turned to Sakura.

"Hey, you think you can handle this on your own?" he asked quickly. "I'll go after the tell-tale. He'll probably lead me to Sasuke." Without waiting for an answer, he sped off, excitement at being able to beat Sasuke up bubbling in his chest.

"Naruto! Hey, you promised!" Sakura yelled angrily, punching one of the nins in the face before he could follow Naruto. "You told me I could fight him! Hey, NARUUUUTOOOOO! _SHANNARO_!"

* * *

Sasuke looked up, frowning thoughtfully. _Did I just hear…? _He shook his head. _No, impossible._

His sensitive hearing caught the sound of running. "Sasuke-sama! Sasuke-sama!" someone was yelling from the left. He whipped around, his hair, now growing just past his ears, following suit. "They're coming! They're too strong!"

_As I thought, _the Snake Sannin's prodigy said to himself, smirking. _He came too._

The panicked nin entered the clearing and into Sasuke's presence, crying, "Sasuke-sama! They're after you-" He never got to finish his sentence as a hand hit him at the base of the neck. Sasuke watched him crumple to the forest floor, his eyes narrowed. His onyx eyes looked at the form in the shadows as he casually put his hands in his pockets.

"I thought you would come," he sneered. "Naruto."

"Sasuke…" the Kyuubi vessel growled. "This ends now. Either you're coming with me, or I'll kill you here, _tonight._"

"Hn, is that so?" Sasuke said, pacing the forest floor and calculating the distance between him and Naruto. "Unfortunately for you, I have no plans of doing either." He stopped as soon as he was a safe distance from the angry blond. "However, you can fight me all you want." For good measure, he added, "Clumsy idiot."

"Don't call me that," Naruto said, his voice cold with fury. "Only the real Sasuke can call me that."

"And who am I, pray tell, if not _the real Sasuke_?"

"You're just-" His eyes were slowly turning red, and Sasuke could feel the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out, "-a damn bastard."

"Not like I care," Sasuke replied arrogantly, his trademark smirk still on his lips.

Naruto smirked to match his own. "Heh. You think I'm going to let you off easy, don't you?" He clenched his fists, his mouth curving into an angry snarl. "I went easy on you last time, but this time…" He took a deep breath to calm himself. "You betrayed Konoha."

"Aa," Sasuke replied, his expression unreadable.

"You betrayed _me_, betrayed our friendship."

"I know."

"And worst of all-" Naruto's eyes were alight with fury. Sasuke's eyes narrowed, as he tried to see where this was going, "-you made Sakura-chan cry." When the Uchiha prodigy didn't answer, he spat, "Dammit! Aren't you going to say anything about that? She loved – no, loves you! She'd do anything for you! And now you're here not caring about-"

"Don't bring her into this," Sasuke interrupted coldly. "She has nothing to do with this."

"You idiot!" Naruto burst out, his pupils starting to redden as the Kyuubi forced its way out. "She has a lot to do with this! Do you know what pushed me to go after you the last time? It was her tears! Because it hurt me to see one of my best friends cry! Do you know what she has gone through these past two and a half years? She trained so that she could go after you too! She wanted to do that because of what she feels for you! She wants to bring Team 7 back together!"

"Who are you calling an idiot, then?" Sasuke interjected. "_Me_? Maybe you guys are the idiots. You should know by now, Team 7 is gone. It's _dead_. It died when I left. Everything that we all feel for our so-called _Team 7_, it should've died with it. Both of you, you're still relying on the old feelings, but you should see that it's not coming back. Our paths are different now. I'm going to kill _that man_, and this is the best path for me to take if I'm going to reach that goal."

He shook his head. "Both of you… you don't understand what this means to me. This isn't about me anymore, nor is this about Itachi. This is about my clan. I don't care what happens to me anymore-"

"But we do," a new voice, soprano even in its coldness, interrupted. Both boys widened their eyes in surprise. Sasuke watched a girl emerge from the shadows the canopy formed. Naruto turned quickly. There was no mistaking that pink hair that shone in the moonlight, nor that pair of green eyes, currently narrowed in sheer rage.

_Since when were Sakura-chan's eyes that dark shade of green?_

"Sakura," Sasuke muttered dazedly. "What the hell are you doing he-"

"Naruto," Sakura said in a falsely calm voice as though she didn't hear him. "You promised."

"Sakura-chan, I-"

"Shannaro, Naruto, you promised!" Sakura yelled, hitting the blond on the head as she lost control. At once, the Kyuubi's chakra withdrew. "You left me deliberately so you could fight him all by yourself!"

"But Sakura-cha-" Naruto tried to plead.

"Shut up, you!"

_What's Sakura doing here? _Sasuke thought, bewilderedly staring at the kunoichi. _No, don't tell me, she wants a confrontation. _"Sakura," he said, loud enough to be heard. "What are you doing here?"

At once, Sakura stopped hitting Naruto on the head. Her eyes were serious once again. "If you're not coming by your own free will, _Sasuke_, then your fight is with me, not Naruto."

Sasuke inhaled sharply in astonishment, but regained his composure in a second, another smirk forming on his face. "And how are you going to do that, Sakura? Spill tears on me?"

He had touched a nerve. "I'll have you know that I'm beyond that, Uchiha," Sakura said callously, and both boys noticed the tone of voice. But it was not as cold as her expression. "Naruto, step back. This is my fight."

"But-"

"Go!" she barked, and Naruto stepped away.

"But you know what I have to do if you're near death," he said ruefully. She grinned at him, although it didn't reach her eyes.

"No problem."

Sasuke decided he wasn't going to stand for this nonsense. "Sakura, step away. My fight is with Naruto. You have nothing to do with this." He walked forward, deliberately aiming to sidestep Sakura, but she moved in front of his path.

"_Au contraire_, Sasuke-_kun_," she said coolly. "I was the one you last talked to when you stepped out of Konoha. I was the one who tried to convince you to stay without fighting. I was the one who you didn't listen to. This has a lot to do with me. I'm surprised Naruto gets this but you don't."

Sasuke made an impatient noise and moved quickly so that he was behind Sakura in a blink of an eye. She gasped. Naruto started forward.

It was déjà vu all over again. The wind blew, rustling the leaves, and it weaved in and out of Sakura's light crimson locks. _Just like on that night…_

He raised his hand to knock her unconscious. Sakura's mind screamed at her to move, but the old emotion rushed into her chest, keeping her still. _Shannaro_Inner-Sakura shrieked, snapping her out of her hiatus. _This isn't supposed to be like that time!_

His hand swept down to the base of her neck. _It's over too soon for you. Sakura._

To everyone's immense shock, even Sakura's, she grabbed his hand, saying, "This isn't-" She summoned her wild strength, lifted Sasuke upwards and threw him forward. "-like last time!" she growled.

Sasuke flipped in the air and landed on the ground before he could hit a tree, skidding a good ten feet from the angry kunoichi. _Since when was she this strong? _Replacing the shocked expression on his face with a sneer, he said, standing, "Looks like you've been training."

"With the best, yes," she said, mirroring his look as she rushed at him with her fist aloft. She threw him a punch, and he blocked it with his palm. This only succeeded in him getting slammed into a tree. Her sneer widened.

Sasuke was now beyond surprised. _If I had gotten a critical hit from that punch, I could be dead by now. _Something clicked into his mind, a phrase that his snake-like sensei said.

_"Ah, I remember Tsunade's punches. One hit, and it's game over. That was how strong they were."_

"You've been training with the Hokage herself," he said after putting two and two together.

"You could tell?" Sakura asked mockingly.

_Sakura-chan's acting odd, _Naruto thought as he watched. _She never used to talk like that. What's with her? She never talked to Sasuke like that before. _His cerulean orbs narrowed in confusion. _Come to think of it, these two have never fought before, mostly because Sakura-chan was never in Sasuke's league in the first place._

"I guess," Sasuke said now, standing up, "I'm going to have to take this seriously."

Sakura removed her hitai-ate from her hair and tied it properly on her forehead. "I'm glad you finally realized the situation you're in." She looked seriously at him. "I'm going to fight you, not as someone who feels for you, but as a Konoha kunoichi."

Naruto watched worriedly as Sasuke formed seals in a blur, and feared for Sakura. He had not much idea how strong she really was now. Would she be able to handle Sasuke?

"_Katon__: Goukkyaku no Jutsu_(1)!" he yelled, shooting fire from his mouth. Sakura merely dodged and threw kunai at Sasuke. He caught it and dodged the shuriken she threw next. He didn't see her move quickly in front of him, and as a result, he received a punch in the face. He hit a tree, and after he regained footing, wiped his mouth of the blood.

"You're going to get seriously hurt if you don't stop thinking of me as weak!" Sakura yelled angrily as she pumped chakra to her feet, hurtling towards the raven-haired boy. She raised his fist to punch him again, but he dodged and she hit the ground. As she had a momentary pause, he jumped and raised his leg to hit her back. She only had time to look at him, and she caught his eye.

_A tearstained face looked at him, a plea in her green eyes to stay, or else to let her come with him._

As the image entered his mind's eye, he hesitated, and the kick came off weakly. _Dammit__, why did I hesitate? _Irritated with himself, he jumped away from her. As soon as she was good distance away, he cried, "Sharingan!" His black eyes transformed into red ones, not two but three commas swirling around each of his irises.

She leapt up, her foot raised in the stance of Tsunade's Legendary Back Foot Kick. Naruto smirked, remembering the horror stories he used to hear about it from Jiraiya. "_Tsunade-hime's__ scariest manifestation of her strength is her Back Foot Kick,_" the Ero-Sennin(2) had told him. "_It's probably twice as strong as her punches, and a lot stronger when she was younger. Heaven help us if she teaches that to Sakura._"

_Yeah, heaven help us, _Naruto thought now. _But right now, it's all good._

Sasuke realized the gravity of the situation and barely dodged the kick. Sakura landed her kick on the ground, forming a large crater in its wake. _Sharingan__ won't do any good against her insane strength, _he thought. _She's not using any kind of jutsu. Even if I've been training so hard these past few years, I can only do this much against Sakura? _Anger filled him. _I can't lose to her. I can't hesitate._

Blue chakra formed around Sakura's hands, and Sasuke's Sharingan told him it was a Chakra Enjitou(3), and that it was meant to sever muscles. His eyes automatically copied it, but he knew his chakra control was not good enough to use it. She rushed at him, her gaze fearsome.

She swiped at him, and he dodged her hands. Sasuke was getting frustrated as Sakura drove him into a corner. He leapt away from her, but in a second she was in front of him. "You're quick," he said as he barely dodged a hit that was directed to the neck. Her touch was literally a killer.

"You don't realize I have superior chakra control compared to yours," she said coldly as she swiped at him again. He ducked under her and landed a punch at her stomach. She flew backwards, and she coughed blood. But she managed to right herself and land on the ground, skidding to a halt.

_I just have to keep her away, _he told himself. _She's a close-range fighter. But so am I. There has to be a technique I know that will knock her out from afar._

He formed the right seals, and shouted, "Senei Jashuu(4)!"

From his sleeves came three snakes, shooting towards her. She formed a ball of chakra in her palm, yelled, "Satsugaite no Jutsu(5)!", and pushed it towards the snakes. She hit one snake, but the two others wrapped themselves around her. She gritted her teeth as the snakes squeezed the breath out of her, but she refused to scream, only struggling to get out of the snakes' grip.

_Come on, fall unconscious already! _Sasuke thought, not enjoying the pained look Sakura was showing. Guilt was coursing through his veins again. Why was he hesitating? Why did he feel guilty at hurting her? If he could kill without remorse, why did his conscience act up and force him not to kill her?

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, ready to jump in. Sakura opened her eyes as she struggled to breathe, and saw Naruto's worried gaze.

_I can't… _she thought. Summoning her strength, she struggled to create an opening for her to slip through. _I can't… _She gave an almighty shout, and she broke the snakes' iron-like grip. _I can't let Sasuke-kun get away again!_

Sasuke and Naruto felt terribly astounded. They had never seen her that strong before. As Sasuke stood in a daze, Sakura leapt up and flipped into the air, directing two kunai at him. He dodged them in the nick of time, but then he noticed too late that she had strings in her hands, the other ends tied to the kunai. She moved her hands quickly, and the two kunai changed direction, twisting the strings around him, tying him in place.

Sakura landed as Sasuke struggled to get out of her hold. She gave him a punch and he hit a tree. Then, with a _poof_, where his body was lay a log. "Kawarimi(6)?" she said, frustrated. _Where is he?_ She turned, and his hand covered her face, driving her into the ground. As they hit the ground, she wrenched his hand off her face and threw him upward.

She flipped up into an upright position, breathing hard. Sasuke also paused to breathe, amazed at how far this girl he thought was weak was driving him back. Naruto watched them gather their strength, awed at Sakura's performance. _This _was Sakura, the girl who often did the least during their genin missions? The Sakura who used to spill out tears before actually doing something about the situation? _That_ Sakura had now actually injured Sasuke?

The two mustered their strength again and hurtled towards each other at high speed. Naruto put his trust in Sakura. _She can do this._

_I hope.

* * *

_

Shikamaru cursed under his breath as he dodged a kunai a Sound nin threw at him. He pushed his own into the Sound nin's stomach. Why did the number of nins seem infinite? There was something odd that was happening. _Is this genjutsu, or bunshin at work?_

_It can't be bunshin, _he thought to himself. _They don't pop or turn back into their original form, and I can see their unconscious bodies-_

He stopped suddenly. Where was the body of the Sound nin he had just stabbed?

"Oi, Neji," he said into the transmitter. "Something's going on here. Check with your Byaakugan."

"Aa," Neji agreed. A few moments (and a few Sound nins) later, his voice said, "You're right. We've been played. Everyone, this is genjutsu, a well-disguised one."

"How is it working?" Ino asked as she threw shuriken to divert incoming ones.

"I think… hmmm…" Hinata's quiet voice murmured into the earpieces. After a second, she said, "…I have it. They're using bunshin, but the genjutsu makes it seem that the bunshin are real. In fact, it makes it seem that we're fighting a lot of enemies, but we're not really fighting them. They're controlling the genjutsu from the outside. We can't break the genjutsu, we have to wait for them to break it."

"They won't break it unless they see us tired," Shino replied. "How do we make them stop it?"

"I'll tell you how," Naruto's voice said.

"Naruto!" Kiba's voice exclaimed. "Where are you and Sakura?"

"She's fighting with Sasuke," Naruto said, a tinge of coldness in his voice. "She's beating him up but-"

"_What?_" Lee yelled into the transmitter. "Why aren't you fighting him with Sakura-san?"

"I promised her I'd give her time to have him all to herself," Naruto replied. "Anyway, what's more important is that you guys get away from the genjutsu and get here quickly. This is what you do…"

Shikamaru listened as he fought more of the Sound nin bunshin. He began to smirk as Naruto relayed his plan to the team. "Not surprising, coming from a prankster like you, Naruto," he said as he began forming a familiar seal. "I don't know why I didn't think of that myself."

"Nihihihi!" Naruto laughed. "It's based on experience, lazy-ass."

There was a simultaneous popping sound, and Shikamaru found himself surrounded with clones of himself. "Ino-team, let's go!" Ino yelled enthusiastically.

Shikamaru watched as his clones and his teammates fought the enemy. Slowly, Ino and Chouji disappeared into the bushes as he performed Henge no Jutsu(7) on two of his clones to look like his teammates. The bunshin of the Sound nins began pulverizing Shikamaru's clones.

Finally, only he and the transformed bunshins were left. He breathed hard, and so did the clones. He scrunched his face up to look as though he was tired. "This is way troublesome," he muttered under his breath.

Around him, the genjutsu began dissolving. "Finally, you guys got tired," a voice said from above. Shikamaru gazed up, looking surprised. Above him and the bunshin were three Sound nins. "Now we can beat you up ourselves."

"That's where you're wrong," Ino said from the bush, and Shikamaru thought it was finally time to let his bunshin disappear. "We're not the least bit tired," she added as she and Chouji emerged from behind their camouflage. The Sound nins immediately looked apprehensive.

"Hn," Shikamaru agreed. "You thought you could use the genjutsu to get us tired from fighting your illusions. But we saw through it and used a couple of simple jutsus to beat it. That genjutsu must have used quite a bit of chakra, so you can't use it again. So I guess your plan failed."

"Let's get them!" Ino cried energetically.

* * *

Sakura swiped her hands at Sasuke again, aiming for the tendons. The battle had lasted for about ten minutes already, and that was long, considering these battles only lasted for less. _As I expected from Sasuke-kun, though. I knew he would be able to push me back this far. I can't use any ninjutsu or genjutsu since he'll copy them with the Sharingan. I'll have to rely on my strength and my medical jutsus._

She chased him through the clearing, leaping on the trunks of trees and such. She couldn't let him get into the trees; it would be harder to fight him there. Sasuke pushed his foot at a trunk of a tree just before Sakura could touch him, flying horizontally to the next tree. He saw her push her foot against the trunk of the tree as well, only harder, so that she hurtled towards him faster. Her right hand went for his left thigh, and he moved it out of the way.

He realized too late that he had given her an opening to sever the muscles in his right thigh. He flexed his right leg and made to kick her. Before he could connect, she managed to touch his thigh. He felt a searing pain there as his foot connected to her chest. Both of them crashed into opposite trees.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. Sakura got up quickly lest Naruto jump in and try to help her. Sasuke stood up as well, but he limped on the right leg. Naruto grinned. "You got him!"

"I did, didn't I?" Sakura asked, smirking. She pumped chakra into her feet again and ran towards the stationary shinobi. She got two kunai from her pouch and put one in each of her hands. Sasuke, whose guard was down because of the pain, looked up in surprise. She threw herself at him, and a moment later, she had his arms pinned to the tree by her arms, and his neck being trapped by two kunai, positioned in an x to cut through his throat whichever way he moved.

"Well, Sasuke?" she asked, no mock smile on her face now. "Are you coming back or not? You know now I got strong just by staying in the village. If you come back-"

"It's funny," Sasuke interrupted smoothly, and Sakura's eyes widened. "You never used to brag, Sakura. But then again, you never had anything to brag about before." He glared at her. "You got _a bit_ stronger there, but there's no guarantee that I'm going to get strong there too. I know I got stronger when I joined Orochimaru, so that's guaranteed."

"Do you know what made me better at this?" Sakura asked quietly. Her eyes were dark again. "It was because I had a goal, and my determination to get to that goal gave me strength. That goal… it was to save you. I got strong because…" She looked him in the eye. "…because I realize that true strength isn't measured by the number of jutsus you know, or all the power you can get, even from something evil. What gives you real strength is that you have someone precious to protect, that you have a very good ideal to protect,which is imperative in protecting that person." Her eyes crinkled into another sad smile. "You were… that someone… who needed it most of all…"

Sasuke's eyes were filled with confusion as Sakura plowed on. "Sasuke-kun," she murmured. "Do you have anyone or anything special to protect?"

The Uchiha heir stared into the kunoichi's green eyes, and saw the hidden plea in them. It was rare he felt so confused. What was she doing to him? What was happening to his resolve? What was this feeling? He didn't want it. He didn't know what it was. And there was only one thing he did with the unknown: be aggressive towards it.

His legs were free, and he raised his uninjured leg to kick her in the stomach. She flew from him and hit the tree in the opposite direction. She opened one eye, feeling pain spread in her abdomen. She spotted Sasuke, and gasped.

She watched in horror as the nightmare that often invaded her dreams came to life. Black marks spread across Sasuke's skin, his eyes burning with rage. _The curse seal…!_

His movement was thrice as fast as before, and she found that she couldn't keep up. Instead of dodging the punch that came at her, she caught it in her hands, but all she managed to do was to keep her vital points covered. She used his hands as leverage and flipped up, aiming to land her foot on his back. He disappeared from her sight, however, and she panicked.

"Where-"

Before she knew it, Sasuke was behind her. She gasped as Sasuke rammed his elbow in the middle of her back, sending her plummeting to the ground. Thinking fast, Sakura plunged a kunai into the ground, and using that as leverage, pushed herself up so that she could place herself safely away from him.

For the first time since they had begun fighting, she felt scared. There was something in the curse seal that sent her into chills. Fire erupted from his mouth, and she dodged the balls of flame that came at her. As she moved to the left, she didn't see the shuriken directed at her and got hit by them as a result. She didn't want to rush at him for fear of getting terribly hurt, but she did anyway.

He raised his leg and kicked her in the stomach again. She coughed up blood as she hit a tree. Before she could slide to the ground, he pinned her to the trunk at the neck with his bare hand. She choked, trying to get his hand off her, in vain.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled angrily. "Sasuke-teme… I'm going to kill you!"

"What would you know, you stupid girl?" he snarled. "You don't understand anything! You have no idea about what I had to go through! You don't know what you're talking about! _True _strength, you say? What would you know about it? And all my precious ones, Sakura, don't pretend you don't understand this part. They're _dead_! I don't have any precious ones to protect because they're all dead!"

"So you're saying-" Sakura said as she struggled to breathe, "-Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, and the village… they weren't precious to you at all?" She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry to know that. I'm sorry to know… we didn't mean anything to you at all. All you care about… is your revenge. I can't believe we wasted all that care on you." Something went up her chest as her intake of breath became tighter. Her sight went darker, and the fight went out of her as a tear trickled down her cheek.

Sasuke struggled to take in all of the things she said. He wanted to tell her she was right, that _yes_, all he cared about was his revenge. But something stopped him. Something told him that wasn't true. And it didn't feel good to lie to someone like _her_.

"Sasuke-kun," she said softly. "My life… is at your hands now. Go on… I have no reason to live. If I can't make you see that coming back is the best option… then I might as well be dead…" Her eyes were closed tightly, and tears were trickling down her face. "But… even if it came to this… I still…" _I still love you, Sasuke-kun._

He wanted to get his grip tighter around her neck, to strangle her to death, but something held him against his will. His breathing became labored as he fought with himself. A voice in his head screamed at him to kill, to shed blood, but _something _was fighting back the desire.

He caught sight of her tears, and his heart jumped suddenly. A feeling was stirring in him.

_She threw her arms around him, resting her head against his back. He glanced at her with his crazed Sharingan eyes. She could feel her tears flowing freely down her cheek. "Please…" she said in a would-be calm voice. "…stop…"_

_He continued to stare at her, and she looked imploringly back at him. As if by magic, the curse seal slowly receded back to the original one on his neck._

The memory triggered something in him, something he knew he had been fighting not to feel. His eyes narrowed as the curse seal began retreating to the original one in his neck. With great strength of will, he forced it to stay.

_What's happening to me? Why is the curse seal receding on its own? _Sasuke thought wildly. "Dammit!" he snarled. He tried to clench his hand around Sakura's neck tighter, but as soon as she let out a moan of pain, he stopped.

"Sasuke… kun… why are you… hesitating…?" she asked, her voice barely heard.

There was something going on, and he didn't like it.

_Why is she making me react this way?

* * *

_

**Next chapter…**

**Sasuke:** Damn it. Damn it all! Why can't I kill Sakura? Why is the curse seal receding? What is this pain inside me? It's as though… it's as though I'm feeling guilty. I can't feel guilty, I've let go of my feelings for everyone in Konoha. I threw it all away to focus on killing _him_. So why?

Now the clumsy idiot wants to fight me. I've lost too much chakra already. How is it going to turn out?

Next chapter, _Hesitation – The Curse Seal Recedes._

I'm not supposed to feel this way…

* * *

**AN:** (1) Fire Skill: Grand Fireball Technique

(2) Pervert Hermit

(3) Chakra Scalpel

(4) Hidden Shadow Snake Hand

(5) Killing Hands Technique

(6) Body Replacement

(7) Disguise Technique

An explanation: In the fight between Sasuke and Sakura, did it seem as though their abilities were equal? It's because Sakura did become stronger since training with Tsunade, and Sasuke was holding back. And also because I'm not good with fight scenes. But I know I have to get better at this because this epic has a lot of those.

For those who reviewed the last chapter, I present to you a big THANK YOU! and Orochimaru punching bags with Tsunade boxing gloves as a bonus!

Review again, please!


	4. Hesitation The Curse Seal Recedes

**AN: **Okay, chapter 4's up! There will be some fight scenes... that's all I'm going to say right now...

**Special Thanks to: Oukaru Hanako, Dragon Man 180 **(Shika made normal bunshin, not Kage Bunshin. I'll try to insert Isshi Resshin soon)**, BlackFeatherz29, Hinata-hime, Lady Light, Kawaii-Hisui, Kireiko **(really? I thought they might be hard to follow)**, PrincessChii, Crystalline Teardrops **(I'm so flattened - I mean, flattered! Hee!)**, Lily Libra, TsuneKunoichiNoAme **(hee, no Naruto epic is really complete without a SasuVsNaru scene)**, Celestartial Blossoms **(I don't know how to say this, but, I'm so sorry! It won't happen that way... not yet anyway)**, Byakugan VS Sharingan **(soon, my precious... soon...)**, Great Saiyaman, SoulShine **(where'dja get the level 2 kyuubi thing? just asking...)**, Lady Evilness, Little Minamino, karmen, warprince2000, ruby411, Sirus183**... and everyone else who read! Thanks for appreciating the fight scenes, everyone!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Hesitation – The Curse Seal Recedes

* * *

**

"Sasuke… kun…" Sakura gasped out. "Why are you… hesitating…?"

Sasuke growled in frustration, willing himself to tighten his hold on Sakura's neck and squeeze the life out of her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. _Why can't I do it? Why can't I kill her?_

He looked at her face. A sad smile graced her features, and crystalline liquid trickled from her closed eyes down her cheeks. There was something about that look that was affecting him. He gritted his teeth and looked away.

Naruto watched from afar. Sakura was trapped in Sasuke's grasp, and she wasn't doing anything about it. "Sakura-chan!" he yelled as loud as he could. "Don't give up! You can still bring him back!"

_If you give up, Sakura-chan, you'll surely die!_

Sakura's mind was trapped in a haze. She felt herself slowly being sucked out of life. Naruto's voice rang in her ears, waking her up.

_You can still bring him back!_

_Talking will do no good, _Inner-Sakura said. _It's time to get back to good old fighting!_

"I can't…"

Sasuke glanced sharply at the pink-haired girl. "What?"

"I can't…" She mustered up her strength to gather chakra into her hands and pry his hand of her. "I can't… lose you…"

Sasuke gave her a bewildered look. _But she said she was giving up! What's going on?_

"Sasuke-kun… I was wrong… For the first time, Naruto was right… I can't give up on you… not this time…" Slowly, his grasp on her became weaker. Whether it was because his hesitation had grown or because she had managed to gain some last minute strength, they didn't know. "I can't give up this time…" She held his hands, forcing them apart. Soon, she could lift him off her. "Because I promised myself…" She threw him away from her. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry!"

"Yeah Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered, immensely relieved.

She ran to Sasuke before he could hit anything, giving him punch after punch. "I'm going to beat the truth in you, Sasuke-kun! I told you, you had better listen to me! Come back, or else!"

"Heh." He blocked her punches, weaker now that she had lost a lot of her stamina. "Or else what?"

"Or else-" She raised her foot, and Naruto recognized this as the Legendary Back Foot Kick. "-you'll get seriously thrashed!"

Her foot connected, and Sasuke crashed to the ground, forming a crater around him. He wiped a trickle of blood that had formed on his mouth. _Even after I choked her like that, she still has this much power…? Did I really… did I think that she wouldn't get strong?_

He had no time to answer his own question as he tried to block Sakura's punches, which came one after the other, so that he wasn't able to block them all.

_Just keep punching… _Sakura thought determinedly. _I can't stop anymore… I have to keep attacking him… I have to…!_

Thunder rumbled up ahead, and Naruto looked up, smelling rain. "Naruto!" a voice to the blond's left called. He turned, and saw that Kiba, Hinata, and Shino had managed to get through the genjutsu.

"You guys!" he called. "Are you all right?"

"We're fine," Kiba said as they met up. "Hinata's healed us with her ointment." He looked at the two battling shinobi, looking appalled. "Whoa, is that Sakura?"

"Sakura-chan…" Hinata said worriedly. "N-naruto-kun… h-how is she holding up?"

"She's doing fine," Naruto reassured her. "Sure, she fell a few times, but she's driving Sasuke back, see?"

"But he's using the curse seal," Shino said, pushing up his dark glasses further up his nose. "She won't stand for long."

"Sh-shino-kun!" Hinata said in surprise. "We… we have to believe in Sakura-chan…"

"We know how strong the seal can become," Shino said. "He's not even using curse seal level 2. And from the looks of it…" He gave Sakura a glance, and the others followed suit. "Sakura's getting tired."

Naruto hated to admit it, but Shino was right. Then he grinned. "That's okay. She's driven Sasuke far enough now. And there's still me."

"You should've joined her in battle, Naruto," Kiba said. "Then we could have finished this early."

"In fact, I think we should join her right now-" Shino began, but Naruto cut him off.

"No!" he exclaimed. "I promised Sakura-chan I'd let her fight Sasuke-"

"Naruto, what do you think this is, some quest for honor?" Kiba barked angrily. "This is a mission! You know what the Hokage said; we can't let emotions run us!"

"But Tsunade no baachan also said it can also be useful!" Naruto argued.

"But this is the wrong time!" Kiba shot back. Akamaru barked in agreement with his master.

"K-kiba-kun… N-naruto-kun… please don't fight…" Hinata murmured imploringly.

"You guys!" someone called from behind. They all turned to see Lee, Neji, and Tenten. "We're fine now!" Lee called. "Where's Sakura-san?"

There was a loud crashing sound that followed, making them all turn to the clearing. "Sakura-chan!" Tenten gasped, pointing to the red-clad kunoichi.

Sasuke had pinned Sakura by the head on a tree, and no matter how she struggled, she couldn't get away from his grasp. All seven Konoha ninja stood in shock as blood trickled down the tree. "Gnnnhh…" Sakura moaned as her struggles became weaker. "I have to… fight…"

"Give it up, Sakura," Sasuke said in a hard tone, as though his voice was caught up in his throat. "You're too weak-"

Something flashed in Sakura's eyes, something that look like a last spark of strength, and it made Sasuke stop in his words. "I told Ino once, you know…" she murmured. She slowly raised her foot, and Sasuke waited to see what she would do. "…I have strength…" She rested her sole on his stomach.

"…to match my beauty!" she screamed, and before Sasuke could think it was a mistake to wait, she kicked him hard, sending him flying away from her. He coughed blood, but he managed to regain composure, flipping up and landing on his feet, skidding across the ground.

Sasuke watched her stand up shakily with what he presumed was the last of her strength. Her knees had almost met, and her arms sagged beside her. He couldn't get why she still had that look of determination in her eyes. _She's lost… I'm sure she knows that by now… She can't stand up… she'll injure herself more-_

"And Sasuke-kun," she called. He looked at her with crazed Sharingan eyes. She smirked. "I think… I'm very pretty."

Sasuke stared with shock. Tenten and Hinata smiled, Kiba and Shino looked taken aback, Lee laughed, and Neji said, "This is hardly the time to be bragging, Haruno." However a small smile graced his lips.

Naruto, on the other hand, mirrored Sakura's smirk. "Sakura-chan isn't someone who'd brag about her strength without a reason. Kakashi-sensei told me that."

Lightning lighted the whole area before crashing thunder sounded. The two girls jumped. The sky was steadily getting darker. A gust of wind blew past them.

"So we've been reduced to quoting-" Kiba began, but suddenly a shout of warning rang out from behind them. They turned to see Shikamaru's team approaching.

"Hey guys!" Ino called, looking panicked. "There's no time to relax, there's more!"

She was right. Behind them was a whole army of Sound nins, all looking ready to kill. "What are those?" Naruto asked. "Bunshin, or the stupid genjutsu again?"

The onrush of Sound nins forced the team to cut their conversation short. Naruto stabbed through the nin, and answered his own question. "Tsuchi Bunshin(1)!" he cried in surprise as a little dirt spewed out of the clone's body. He stabbed it again, and only then did it return to dust on the ground.

_Tsuchi__Bunshin, _Neji thought as he hit one with his kunai multiple times before it returned to being dust. _They're a lot more durable than any other kind of bunshin. That's why we need to get in several good blows before we can dispel the ninjutsu. My Jyuuken_(2) _should work against these; anything that's made out of chakra can be destroyed with chakra. _Sure enough, as he spun on his foot, releasing chakra in all 360 degrees, he destroyed all the earth clones that had rushed to him.

"Time to get serious!" Tenten exclaimed. She quickly laid two scrolls on the ground. Forming seals quickly, she cried, "Soushoryuu(3)!" The scrolls opened with a loud rushing sound, spinning up the air like two large dragons. In the middle of the rising dragons, Tenten leapt up. As soon as she touched the symbols on the scrolls, various weapons appeared in her hand, and she threw them around with the one-hundred percent accuracy she was known for. Soon, all the bunshin around her were destroyed.

Neji shook his head. "Does she really have to use one of her most serious techniques…?" Suddenly Tenten gave him a grin and a thumbs-up, somewhat mirroring Lee's "nice guy" pose. The Hyuuga's eyes widened. _She enjoyed herself, _he realized, mildly amused. She leapt up again, and as she stayed in the air, she directed all her fallen weapons towards the rest of the bunshin with strings, hitting them accurately.

As the clones were distracted with her, Neji shouted, "We have to get to the source of the bunshin, or this'll never end." He looked at the female Hyuuga in the team, and when she nodded to show she understood, the cousins disappeared from the battle.

"Shikamaru! Chouji!" Ino called. "Time for our formation too!" Shikamaru sighed, while Chouji grunted in reply. "Formation, Ino-"

"Shika-"

"Chou!"

Shikamaru used Kanashibari(4), trapping five earth clones at once. "It'll be useless to use your Shintenshin no Jutsu(5) on clones," he called to Ino. "Just better knock them down as soon as I trap them."

"Yes, yes, captain!" Ino called, grinning, as she hit the Tsuchi Bunshin Shikamaru had trapped, making it burst into dust.

Chouji formed into Meat Tank once again, and rolled towards the Tsuchi Bunshin like a bowling ball. And just like bowling pins, the earth clones fell and burst into dust once more.

"Akamaru!" Kiba exclaimed, meanwhile. "It's time to use our technique!" His large white dog barked in reply, transforming into a second Kiba. "Gatsuuga(6)!" Kiba shouted. They spun like drills, hitting their opponents hard. The clones turned back into earth, and the dog lover smirked while his best friend barked happily.

_Is there a need for such heavy handed fighting? _Shino thought to himself as he directed his Kikai to the clones. _Typical Kiba… _The Kikai covered the Tsuchi Bunshin and fed off their chakra. Soon, they were reduced to their original form: rocks and soil.

Lee was having a good time as he hit the bunshin. He punched, kicked, and formed the most bizarre poses. "The fire of youth rages in my body!" he cried as he destroyed clone after helpless clone. "Gai-sensei, if you could see me now, I'm sure you'd be proud of me!"

Tenten, who was fighting nearby, sweatdropped. "Honestly, Lee…"

The Green Beast, hearing his name, turned to the chocolate-haired kunoichi and gave her the original "nice guy" pose, complete with the shiny eyes, the gleaming teeth, and the thumbs up. He then used his superb taijutsu to fend off enemies that came towards him. "Konoha Senpuu(7)!" He leapt and spun in the air, kicking out his legs as they went around, hitting two bunshin that hurtled towards him.

Naruto, feeling he had no choice but to use up chakra, cried, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(8)!" Instantly, several clones of him appeared, and all of them rushed at the stronger Tsuchi Bunshin. However, Naruto being one with an explosive character, was more than enough to take care of all the bunshin.

Thunder crashed again overhead, and one by one, drops of rain fell to the earth, but not enough to even be called a drizzle.

As soon as he had cleared a two-meter radius of bunshin, he shot a glance at his pink-haired teammate. Sakura was there, breathing heavily and struggling to her feet, healing herself of the wounds she received from Sasuke. The curse-covered boy, however, seemed hardly scathed, but there was an odd expression of discomfort on his face.

"Sakura, that's enough," he said coldly, wanting to strangle her again to make her understand. "You can't fight anymore. Give it up. I'm not coming with you."

"Heh, you're not the one to tell me that," Sakura said in a hard tone. She tried standing up, but her strength was giving out. Instead of standing up straight, her knees threatened to meet right in the middle. "I can still… I can still force you… I can manage…" She rushed to him, hands glowing with the blue chakra again.

_I'm tired of losing, Sasuke-kun. How I remember those times when you said I was even weaker than Naruto. When you left, and I trained under Tsunade-sama, all I could think about was to show you guys I could get as good as you. That if I didn't give up, I could manage to equal you. That's why…_

In one last, desperate slog, she swiped her hands at him, and he dodged quickly. Her aim was getting very off, and her movements had slowed down by a great percentage, but she couldn't stop. _That's why… I can never give up on you!_

_It's my goal!_

Naruto could tell, and he was sure Sasuke could too, that Sakura was fatigued already. She had been fighting nonstop with someone with the curse seal activated; fighting nonstop with a Sasuke who hadn't even activated his curse seal yet, _and_ managing to stay conscious, was already a feat.

"Sakura," the Uchiha said, his voice becoming more and more distressed. "I said…" He gave her the hardest uppercut he could manage. "-stop it!"

The fist met her stomach, and her body arched forward. The green-eyed girl coughed out blood, and a nanosecond later her body flew in a parabolic motion in the air, landing a few feet away from him.

"Sasuke-_teme_!" Naruto howled in rage, aiming to run forward, but being waylaid by another batch of bunshin. Angrily, he fought them off, hardly taking his eyes off his beloved friend. "Sakura-chan!"

Sakura didn't regain her footing, and she lay there, quite still. _The strength won't enter my body. But I have to stand up! _Slowly, she struggled to get to her feet again, ignoring Naruto's protests to stop pushing herself, and her body's screaming pleas not to strain it even more. Sasuke's eyes widened.

_Why is she pushing herself? She shouldn't do that, she's going to get hurt even more… _

Sasuke realized what he was thinking. _Why am I even concerned with her well-being? She's an enemy. I should focus more on beating her._

Sakura glared at the tree behind Sasuke, as though it was mocking her into not standing up. _I'm going to stand up! I will!_

But her strength was fading rapidly. Her breathing was getting shallow, and her stand was wobbly. With the last fiber of her being, she started forward, but all her efforts were in vain. Slowly, she slumped to the ground, her eyes blacking out and her hearing distorted.

Sasuke watched her fall to the ground with wide, shocked eyes. There had been a lot of surprises that night, but so far, Sakura's determination had been the biggest. She had fought to the last fiber of her strength, to bring him back, even though he didn't want to, or deserved to, for that matter.

She fell to the ground, too slowly for his liking, and as her hair followed her suit, he suddenly felt a wave of fear, that she might hit the ground and never regain consciousness. In the background, he could hear Naruto shout out her name that spoke of pink and white petals of the spring.

It was as if Naruto's scream was never-ending. It was as though the moment of Sakura's fall would last forever.

Sasuke felt it ended too quickly.

In a burst of instinct, he lunged forward and caught her in his arms. _Wake up, wake up, _he thought over and over again, not caring or even remembering what he was or what exactly was happening, or the fact that they were on opposite extremities this time. He shook her, but her pale face remained deathlike, her breaths too quiet, and her eyes closed.

This was too much for him.

Sasuke lost his sense of being. He screamed, feeling hate and anger at himself streaming through his body. He didn't know why, nor did he want to know. All he knew that he was in agony, pain swirling in the pits of his abdomen.

The sudden heavy downpour of the rain drowned out his pained scream. Drops of water pounded heavily down on the ground, muddying clothes and soaking all the shinobi who were there, but no one seemed to care.

Then it happened.

The Uchiha prodigy felt a sudden prickling in his skin that had nothing to do with the cold rain. He looked at his arms, and his eyes widened as the black marks on his skin reddened like fire and began withdrawing up his arm, towards the original one.

The curse seal was receding.

Sasuke panicked. He didn't will the seal to go back yet. He needed it still, but why was it retreating on its own? Using all his willpower, he forced the seal to go back, but it only fluctuated back and forth, now going back, now retreating.

_As if by magic, the curse seal slowly receded back to the original one on his neck._

His heart beat faster than ever as that memory came flooding back in his mind.

_The last time the curse seal receded on its own… It was when Sakura stopped me from killing that Sound guy._

"Dammit, stay!" he yelled. The seal steadied its pace as it came to place on his skin.

"Unh…" Sakura groaned, gritting her teeth. His eyes widened as he took notice of her shivering in the rain, and again the seal threatened going back to the original one.

Sasuke struggled to make it stay, even trying to mold his chakra to get to level two. But an invisible force made it impossible for him. He couldn't make it stay. It was as if his will just wasn't enough. That invisible force, whatever it was, it was clearly interfering.

"Keep calm… I can do this…"

It was ironic he had to keep calm to will something like the curse seal back. When he went into curse seal mode, he generally went closer to insanity.

But every time he glanced at Sakura, the remnants of her tears mingling with the rain, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't even bear to let go of her. There was something seriously wrong with him. _Does this mean… I have feelings for Konoha still?_

_Or is it… just for Saku-_

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled, jerking him out of his thoughts. "I'll kill you! Damn you, I swear to you I will!"

Sasuke was forced to drop Sakura's body to dodge Naruto's attack. Apparently, he had broken out of the tussle with the Tsuchi Bunshin and had molded chakra enough to create Rasengan. The ball of chakra disappeared, but Naruto's eyes had become red again, signaling the Uchiha that the Kyuubi was about to manifest. Beside Sakura's body, where Sasuke had just been, was a crater with a swirl in the middle, a result of the Rasengan.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried, his anger reducing his vocabulary to curses and threats as he took Sakura's limp body and deposited it to a safe place. "You bastard! Even Sakura-chan! How could you! I'll kill you!" He threw a punch at Sasuke, who dodged it and threw his own.

"I never told her she could fight me!" Sasuke bellowed as he and Naruto traded kicks and punches at high speed. The Kyuubi and the curse seal were pitted against each other once again. "I told her, and I told you. She had nothing to do with this!"

"You used the curse seal on her!" Naruto argued as he summoned more bunshin to attack Sasuke, who blew fire at them. "You knew she couldn't handle you, but you still did! If you had just come quietly-"

"I told you, I'm not going back to Konoha! How stupid can you get? I'm staying at Sound, because that's where I'm going to get my power!"

"You're the idiot!" Naruto raged as he threw shuriken at him. "You get power, then what? You'll go after Itachi and kill him, then you'll become Orochimaru's goddamn container? You'll willingly give your body up to some bastard who'll use that body to hurt the people who used to be your friends?"

"I told you, I don't care anymore. As long as I can avenge my clan, that's enough for me."

Sasuke blew a great fireball at him, and Naruto quickly did Kawarimi(9) to dodge the ball of flames, leaving a log in his place. "You selfish bastard!" he cried as he reappeared behind Sasuke. "Konoha is the place where people who actually cared about you stay! You're just going to sell us out, huh? Cripes, I never knew my father or my mother, but if I were a son who did this, I'd know at least what they'd think of me: they'd be ashamed! I can imagine your parents now, they're probably so ashamed with the sons they left here-"

"Shut up about my parents," Sasuke growled. "You never had parents to talk about, so don't talk about mine! You don't know what it's like!" With that, he disappeared from Naruto's sight.

Next thing the blond knew, Sasuke was crouched under him. He kicked his left leg up, hitting Naruto's chin. As he flew upward, Sasuke jumped up to be level him, and flipped the orange-clad ninja's position so that he was parallel to the ground. Then Sasuke performed a series of quick punches and kicks, sending Naruto plummeting to the ground. As they neared the ground, Sasuke spun and brought his leg around to ram Naruto across the abdomen.

"Shishi Rendan(10)!" he shouted as they crashed to the ground. Sasuke cursed the rain; the muddy ground provided a good cushion for Naruto. He jumped away as Naruto stood up, wiping a spot of blood that had formed in the corner of his mouth.

"You say I don't know what it's like, Sasuke, just like last time," Naruto muttered angrily. "But like I told you before… when I'm with Iruka-sensei, or even Kakashi-sensei, I feel what it's like to have a father. When Sakura-chan scolds me, it's like I have a sister. When I was with you, I felt like I had a brother. Then I lost that brother… to the monster in front of me!"

"Then if you know what it feels like, you should be able to understand why I'm doing this," Sasuke replied as he sped to his ex-best friend, kunai aloft. Water splashed and metal clanged as kunai met kunai. "It's painful to lose family, and I have a duty to that dead family. _He _told me to avenge the clan. So that's what I'm going to do, using any means possible!"

The battle raged on as the two former teammates exchanged heavy blows and even heavier words. "When I stayed in Konoha, I didn't get as strong as I am now," Sasuke continued, ducking under a bunshin's punch and throwing a shuriken at it, causing it to be gone with a poof. "Had I stayed in the village, I'd remain to be a mediocre ninja-"

"So you still think we're mediocre ninja since we stayed in the village?" Naruto asked furiously as he wrestled Sasuke down on the ground. "You may have gotten strong, _teme_, but you're still an idiot. You're still blind to what's in front of you. Didn't you think Sakura-chan got strong? Can't you see that I'm driving you back too, meaning I'm as strong as you are?" He punched Sasuke's handsome but bruised face again and again, wanting to make him see. "You're a genius, dammit! You had potential to get strong anywhere you stayed! You could've gotten strong in Konoha!"

Sasuke planted his foot in the middle of Naruto's stomach and kicked the Kyuubi vessel off him. The words Naruto said were getting to him, and he didn't like it one bit. Even Sakura's words were coming back to him.

"_Sasuke-kun," she murmured. "Do you have anyone or anything special to protect?"_

He didn't want all that confusion inside him. He was determined to get rid of all the doubt in his mind. He and Naruto stared each other down, and in unison, they ran forward to fight head-on.

* * *

Meanwhile, Neji and Hinata were trying to look for the people who were creating the Tsuchi Bunshin. Even with the Byakuugan, these Sound nins were hard to find. 

"Hinata-sama, do you see anything?" Neji called as his cousin looked into bushes and whatnot to find the source of the Tsuchi Bunshin.

"I'm afraid not, Neji-niisan," Hinata replied. "But they have to be close to the battle grounds if they were to make bunshin, right?"

"Yes," the stoic Hyuuga replied as he looked up a tree. It rustled unnaturally, and his eyes narrowed. Loudly, he said, "Hinata-sama, it would do us good to search somewhere else." Hinata followed his barely visible gaze towards the tree just as slightly.

"Yes, Neji-niisan," she replied, understanding exactly what the older one meant. She moved quickly so that she was out of sight.

The Sound nin sighed in relief. He thought he had been spotted for sure. Those white eyes seemed to see everything, but now he saw it as an empty threat. He turned to look at the battle again, ready to supply more Tsuchi Bunshin if necessary.

He never got the chance.

Neji appeared behind him, raised his hand and hit the Sound nin across the neck. The nin doubled over and fell unconscious. From that position, Neji could see about three more nins, positioned on three other corners of the battle area. He saw the others fight the Tsuchi Bunshin and decided to do his work quicker so that they could aid Naruto with his battle against the mission objective.

Neji looked again with his Byaakugan, and saw Hinata knock down another Sound nin, dwindling the number into two. "Hinata-sama," he muttered into the mouthpiece. "Do you see the other two?"

"Yes, Neji-niisan," Hinata replied quietly. "I'll go take out that one."

"Good. I'll take care of the other one."

They moved quickly, so as not to be seen. Hinata hid behind a bush and spotted the other nin with her Byaakugan. She leapt up to the tree, and made to knock out the nin. But her eyes narrowed, spotting the difference. She used Jyuuken to attack the nin, and as expected, it dissolved into dust.

_Behind! _She thought quickly. She turned, and sure enough, there was the real nin.

"Die!" he cried, raising his kunai to hit her. She frowned slightly and pushed chakra into the Sound shinobi's head. He fell unconscious. She sighed in liberation. She turned to find Sakura.

_She needs medical attention right away, _the shy girl thought anxiously. _I have to find her quickly._

Meanwhile, Neji saw the nin jump in surprise. _He's felt me, _he thought. He watched the nin quickly make another Tsuchi Bunshin in his place, and hid himself in a bush. Neji pretended to go after the bunshin. As he made to hit the bunshin, he feinted and threw his shuriken instead to the man behind the bush. He leapt down and rammed his elbow on the Sound nin's head, rendering him unconscious, but not before the nin managed to stab his arm. The bunshin disappeared, and simultaneous pops from the battlefield confirmed that all the others had as well.

"Hey! The bunshin here disappeared!" Tenten said into her transmitter.

"Aa, we're done with the sources," Neji said in reply. From afar, he could see her smile, and the others sit down on the ground or else sigh in relief. "But we're not done yet," he added as he held his injured arm. "There's still the target."

* * *

In the clearing, Naruto raised himself up, trying to stand after the blows, wounds, and burns he received from Sasuke. His resolve in bringing him back had not burned down yet. He glared at the Uchiha heir, who only smirked in his trademark arrogance. He also had deep wounds and bruises in his body, but like Naruto, he didn't want to lose. Naruto's ability of being able to heal his wounds very quickly soon acted up, closing up all the minor wounds and mending the burns. 

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he yelled, creating a clone beside him. He raised his right palm, and the bunshin began molding chakra into his hand, forming a blue ball which resembled a miniscule hurricane in his hands. Sasuke smirked and began molding chakra in his left hand as well. A concentration of energy formed in his hand, making crackling sounds like electricity.

Meanwhile, Hinata tried to find Sakura in the rain, Ino joining her. Sure enough, in a growth of trees near the two boys, was their unconscious teammate. "Sakura-chan…" she murmured.

"She's going to freeze if we don't get her away from here…" Ino said, her voice quavering slightly. She raised Sakura's body up, slinging the girl's arm around her shoulder to support her. She and Hinata turned to look for a clear path, and both girls stopped at what they saw. Ino gasped, and Hinata clamped her hands on her mouth.

The Rasengan swirled in Naruto's right hand, while the Chidori was concentrated on Sasuke's left, emitting a sound like a thousand chirping birds. The wielders of these jutsus stared at each other as though calculating the next move. Neji held his breath in anticipation, Lee and Shino wondered at the power both possessed, Shikamaru and Chouji felt a shiver of fear and excitement, Kiba and Akamaru felt the air get tense, and Tenten bit her lip, waiting, like all the others.

Ino glanced at her best friend, currently out like a light. _What would Sakura-chan say or do if she saw this?_

Hinata stared at the blond boy she loved more than anyone in the world as she supported Sakura with Ino. _Naruto-kun… please live…

* * *

_

A white-haired man sped through the rain, feeling the chakra of his charge flow in a murderous path. Being an expert medic nin and chakra flow reader, he could feel a tingle of hesitation.

"Sasuke-kun is hesitating?" he asked himself, frowning. "He must be fighting _that_ kid."

A mental image of _that kid_ two years ago entered his mind. Blond and noisy, wearing an equally loud orange suit and blue eyes flashing in anger… that was the kid he remembered. A big show off, incredibly loud, over-energetic, and foolishly brave, he wondered how that boy managed to make Sasuke hesitate. _If my sources are correct, he's been training with the Frog Sannin Jiraiya. _His eyes narrowed. _In that case, he's gotten stronger, maybe even as strong as Sasuke-kun. I have to admit though, Sasuke-kun still has a long way to go._

His thoughts went back to his master. "_Go after Sasuke-kun, Kabuto,_" Orochimaru had said. "_I think Konoha insects are going to start bothering him again._"

So Konoha nins had anticipated this meeting, now had they? How they did, Yakushi Kabuto didn't know. _That man Orochimaru-sama is meeting with is probably a spy… or else someone who has been duped into saying we were going to meet here._

He adjusted his glasses. _Not that it matters… Orochimaru-sama will dispose of him soon enough._

He focused on finding the Snake Sannin's protégé again. "Knowing Sasuke-kun, he'll be in the forest," he mused. Sure enough, in the far-off distance, he could feel different kinds of chakra, and judging from the flow, their owners were engaged in battle.

He pumped more chakra to his feet, aiming to get there as fast as he could.

_Sasuke-kun, don't do anything rash.

* * *

_

Sasuke held his wrist as the chakra he could mold reached its maximum. From what he could feel from his body, he had lost enough chakra so that he could not use the Chidori more than once. The curse seal wouldn't respond to his commands, and he felt he had to finish this in one blow.

It was now or never.

Giving a battle cry, he ran to Naruto, moving like lightning. The Jinchuuriki did the same, aiming the Rasengan just so.

Sasuke watched Naruto's red eyes, feeling the great hostility within them. He could see he wanted to make him pay for what he had done two and a half years ago, and what he had done to Sakura just now. There was fury, determination, and even a tad of insanity. Yet…

…there was uncertainty. Did Naruto still think of him as a friend?

Naruto looked at his raven-haired opponent's eyes, the three commas of the Sharingan swirling within those depths. Emotions, which he knew the Uchiha often claimed weren't there, crashed and mixed with each other. He had felt angry at the boy in front of him, but now, they were just two warriors fighting. He was leaving his emotions behind, and focus every filament of his soul on this one last attack. He scanned Sasuke's eyes again, and widened his eyes in surprise.

He had found doubt. Did Sasuke feel any remorse for what he had done to his team?

The Rasengan swirled in Naruto's hand, and the Chidori crackled and hissed in Sasuke's. They jerked their arms backward to push their attacks in.

"_HERE!_" Sasuke yelled.

"_GYAAHHH!_" Naruto cried.

Tenten, Lee, Neji, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji stared through the pounding rain in anticipation. Sakura stirred, but did not wake. Ino spared her a small glance. Perhaps she also felt that the boys that she loved more than life itself, though in different aspects, were about to give each other the final blow. On the last second, Hinata's fear for Naruto went to a climax, her heart beating faster and faster.

Both boys pushed their hands forward, aiming for the person in front of them. Then, in a split second, the Rasengan and the Chidori met, scattering light everywhere, their voices echoing in the whole forest.

The impact was tremendous. The forest lit up in a bright light, and the force of the blows made all the surrounding shinobi duck as dust and debris flew around.

Tenten was the first to recover. "Is it… is it over?" she whispered.

"I think so…" Kiba replied tentatively, raising his head to look through the rain and dust.

Sasuke had landed opposite where he started, panting hard, his right hand covering his side and his one eye closed. Blood was oozing out of his side, trickling through his fingers. The curse seal dissipated completely, and the Sharingan dissolved from his eyes, leaving them as black as ever.

Naruto had landed on the other side, trying to stop the bleeding in his shoulder, the red liquid mingling with the rain. He breathed hard and swayed on his knees, his sight becoming fuzzy. His fox-like appearance slowly left him, leaving his eyes blue, his whisker-like marks smaller, and his fingernails blunter.

It was like a spell. Everything had paused. The rain made no sound in their ears, and even the wind seemed to be holding its breath with everyone, trying to see who would fall first.

Hinata stared at Naruto, her mind blank, but her heart pounding. She clutched at Ino's wrist tightly, her fingernails digging in, but even the talkative blonde had nothing to say.

Then, in one heart-stopping moment, Naruto fell to the muddy ground face first, splashing water around him. His eyes closed as he fell unconscious.

"_NARUTO-KUN!_" Hinata screamed, breaking the spell that had fallen on everyone. She let go of Ino's hand and sprinted forward, her long midnight blue hair whipping around, not caring if Sasuke was to attack. She just had to be near Naruto and keep him safe. He was too vulnerable. Tears stung her eyes as she knelt beside him. "Naruto-kun…" she whispered, raising him up and resting his head on her lap.

Sasuke turned and saw that Naruto had fallen. He tried his best to stand up, but he, too, was out of energy. It was taking all of his remaining chakra to stand up. His mind, working too slowly, told him to run away, as he was not only tired out, but outnumbered as well.

Everything had turned out confusing. His thoughts felt muddled, and he hated the feeling of being unsure. His resolve in staying with Sound was wavering. _How could one battle with both of them change all that?_

The seven shinobi, who had been staring before Hinata screamed, ran forward as well. In his faltering vision, Sasuke could see that Neji had approached him.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he said coldly to the younger nin, "you have no choice but to come with me." He raised his uninjured hand, assuming the stance to seal his chakra points.

_Move!_ Sasuke's mind screamed.

The Hyuuga raised his hand, and made to seal his chakra points. He thrust his hand forward, and Sasuke flinched, closing his eyes before the attack came.

But it never did.

There was one last surprise as Sasuke opened his eyes, seeing Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand, stopped Neji's hand from descending on Sasuke's chakra points in the nick of time. Neji bared his teeth in anger, Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise, and Kabuto kept his calm, though slightly apprehensive of the white-eyed boy's abilities.

Kabuto threw Neji away from him, and he helped Sasuke up. As Neji righted himself before he could hit anything, Sasuke grabbed his arm from Kabuto.

"I can take care of myself, Kabuto," he said gruffly. However, he swayed in his steps, and blacked out completely. Kabuto shook his head as Shikamaru recognized the name from the research he had done.

"Stubborn." He looked at Neji and the conscious part of his team, getting ready to wrestle Sasuke from him. He picked up the Uchiha's body and slung it under his arm. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you take Sasuke-kun," he called. He made to go, and Neji rushed at him for one final attack. Before he could touch Kabuto, however, the white-haired nin had grabbed hold of his injured arm, pressing on the wound to aggravate the pain. Neji bit his lip to keep from screaming. Kabuto smirked, pushed him to the ground and sped off with Sasuke.

"Why that bastard-" Kiba said as he began to run after Kabuto, but Shikamaru held him back.

"That guy's dangerous, from what I know," he said. "We can't handle him."

"But we win in terms of number!" Kiba protested. "And he has Sasuke to take care of! If we just fight him long enough to grab Sasuke from him-"

"We can't," Lee interjected, looking disappointed. "Three of our strongest are down, and we've lost in terms of energy. We have injuries to take care of."

"But Tsunade-sama said we had better give her something good if return to Konoha," Tenten said as she tended to Neji's wound. "And all we've managed to do is push Sasuke back, only to let him go again. We didn't even get much information."

"If one of us could've gotten information about the meeting with the Sand," Chouji said, "then we could at least have gone back to Konoha with something."

Shikamaru sighed. "Well, what's done is done. All we can do is to carry these two back to Konoha and make sure Naruto doesn't lose too much blood. There's no way we can follow them."

"Shikamaru's right," Neji said. "We could try to take him, but even with his wound, he'd still have guards, plus the fact the Snake Sannin will be with him. We can't possibly fight someone like him."

"So we're just going to give up, huh?" Kiba asked in a hard tone.

"We have no choice," Shino said beneath his hood. "Tsunade-sama specifically instructed us to come back as a complete team." Kiba sighed.

"But we've all but failed this mission," Chouji said, sighing.

"There'll be other times," Lee said bracingly. "Right now, we have Naruto-kun and Sakura-san to take care of." He glanced at the two aforementioned. "We have to come back to Konoha as an uninjured team, at least. We can't travel to Konoha with two people weighing us down."

"We have to get away from here and find another village to stay in," Shikamaru said. "We'll have to spend the night there and recuperate. We have to get away from here as fast as we can. We don't know, but Orochimaru may plan to do something with us. And Naruto looks like he needs a lot more than bed rest."

The group gave a collective sigh of agreement. Kiba and Lee supported Naruto, while Hinata looked after his wound, closing up as best as she could. Chouji and Ino lifted Sakura up. Everyone started to walk away from the forest, drenched, cold, and tired. Tenten pursed her lips and summed up everyone's feelings in one thought.

_How dreadfully disappointing.

* * *

_

"That's all, Kabuto-sama," one of the lesser Sound nins reported, visibly trembling under the white-haired man's gaze as he tended to Orochimaru's favorite apprentice. He had recounted every detail of the battle to Kabuto, whose frown deepened at every word.

"So you're saying, Sakura managed to make the curse seal recede?" he asked quietly, the dangerous air around him not lifting. The nin flinched slightly as though it was his fault and thought he was going to get punished for it.

"Yes, Kabuto-sama," he replied, his voice trembling. "And the blond ninja managed to injure him with that jutsu."

"It doesn't matter now," Kabuto said, wondering at the damage the Rasengan managed to give Sasuke. "We got away, and Sasuke-kun is alive." He smiled at the nin, but it was a smile that dripped poison. "But another performance like that, and your body might become nothing more than lab specimen for Orochimaru-sama. Now go away, I need to concentrate."

"Yes, Kabuto-sama," the nin replied, relieved. He left the medic nin's room as he tended to Sasuke.

Kabuto, however, still didn't manage to focus as he thought back on the Sound nin's report. _Sakura managed to make Sasuke-kun hesitate… and the curse seal retreat? From what I know, the curse seal reacts on the user's will and chakra loss, but also on the user's emotions. Sasuke-kun _wanted _the curse seal to stay, which rules out his will, and he still had huge reserves of chakra within himself. Was he having an emotional moment with Sakura then?_

He looked at the wound he was currently healing. _This wound is strange as well. I remember being hurt with the Rasengan myself, but the wound I got wasn't this bad. In fact… _His mouth was set in a grim line, …_this_ _has got to be ten times worse. _He looked at the Uchiha's troubled face, as though even in his sleep he could feel pain. _At least his condition isn't critical anymore. But…_

_Having him clash with his former teammates is dangerous. If we're going to keep Sasuke-kun with us, we had better make sure that he doesn't see them ever again._

He looked out the window, where the moon was finally showing itself again after hours of rain. _Sakura, Naruto, you won't believed how much you've surprised me.

* * *

_

**Next chapter…**

**Sakura: **What! I can't believe it! I let Sasuke get away! I shouldn't have, I really shouldn't! How can I be this weak? We've really failed this mission…

No, I won't allow it! I'm going to get Sasuke-kun back, and there won't be anything to stop me! Not Naruto, not Neji, not even that bastard Kabuto. I won't lose Sasuke-kun this time around. After all, third time's the charm, right?

Next chapter, _A Hasty Decision! – The Chase Begins._

I'm not going back to Konoha empty handed…

* * *

**AN: **(1) Earth Clones. I made it up myself. 

(2) Gentle Fist, a Hyuuga technique which involves pushing one's chakra into your opponent's system, disrupting it.

(3) Twin Dragons

(4) Temporary Body Paralysis

(5) Mind-Body Switch Technique

(6) Double Fang Attack

(7) Konoha Whirlwind

(8) Shadow Clone Technique

(9) Body Transfer/Switch

(10) Lion Combo

Yes! It's confirmed! Akamaru is bigger, Shino is creepier, and Hinata's hair is a lot longer! Ooohee! Kiba… is plain old Kiba, only taller and without the hood. Even if they only appeared on chapter 282, and I said I'd only go for the chapters 280 and below, I'd like to use their appearances as they are in the manga, to lessen confusion.

For those who reviewed, you receive Jiraiya wigs as requested by SoulShine! - swings own round and round - Oryah!


	5. A Hasty Decision! The Chase Begins

**AN: **Chapter 5 is here! Sorry I wasn't able to update for a bit of a long time... I had a little fight with my mum with me resulting to having my com time cut... And my sisters wouldn't do the uploading for me... Evil evil evil.

Anyway, I noticed there's a review reply option already, but that way, I can't thank the people, so here goes:

**Special thanks to: Lady Evilness, PrincessChii, Oukaru Hanako, CrystallineTeardrops, Dragon Man 180 **(unfortunately, Kabuto won't be dying until the very end, but I did my best to torture him. Hee!)**, Uzamaki-Girl **(yap. Hinata actually screamed for Naruto. More NaruHina in here, if you like)**, Hinata-hime **(ooh! I love you! Like an episode? That's a great compliment, thanks! I try to inject a little humor here and there)**, gclp, neu chi no nai u, grilledjellyfish **(eep, he'll appear as soon as they get back to Konoha, I promise, abs and all!)**, Celestartial Blossoms, UchihaSakura87 **(dearie, SasuSaku is pure love and Sasuke WILL be brought home, and if you read the AN at the first chapter, there's an overview of the whole thing, and Itachi is coming soon. Ah, the Uchiha-ness. -drool)**, Only Secret **(yeah! I love twists!)**, naarrruuuuutto, Queen Cow and Steak **(argh! stop complimenting me! my head's too big already! no, just kidding, luv ya)**, karmen, Little Minamino, miz-hinatarox, warprince2000, manachan** (yeah, I know, but Sasuke torture is so much fun)**, Cherry Arrow, Green Tea **(that's exactly how I want you guys to feel. Hee!)and all those who didn't review but still read! Gosh, I don't know what I'd do without you.

* * *

**Chapter 5: A Hasty Decision! – The Chase Begins

* * *

**

_Sakura…_

_Sasuke-kun…?_

_Sakura-chan…_

_Naruto?_

_Sakura… Sakura-chan…_

_Unhh_…

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and after a few blinks, she managed to focus her vision. Hinata was looking at her worriedly, and Tenten and Ino were crowding beside her, but Sakura's brain was still trying to piece everything together.

_Her strength was fading rapidly. Her breathing was getting shallow, and her stand was wobbly. With the last fiber of her being, she started forward, but all her efforts were in vain. Slowly, she slumped to the ground, her eyes blacking out and her hearing distorted. _

_Sasuke watched her fall to the ground with wide, shocked eyes._

Sakura shot up quickly. "Sasuke-kun!" she cried. "What – I – I have to – but-" She looked around wildly. "What's going on? Where's Sasuke-kun? Why aren't we-"

"Shush, shush, Sakura-chan," Tenten murmured bracingly. "Calm down. You're a bit behind times now. You've been asleep for half a day. The battle's over."

"It's over?" Sakura asked, relieved, although questions still ran through her mind. She looked at one girl to another. "So what happened? Did we complete the mission? Where's Sasuke-kun? Did we manage to get him?"

The three other girls in the room shifted uncomfortably. Hinata's eyes looked downcast, and Sakura began to understand. "Well, Sakura-chan… it's hard for me to tell you this, but…"

Sakura's wide, hopeful eyes drooped sadly, eyeing the white blanket she was covered in, but not seeing it at all. "…there's no need to sugar coat it, Hinata-chan," she said, smiling to mask her anguish. "We didn't, now did we?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Tenten said pityingly but firmly. "It's very disappointing, but we have to get over it."

Sakura didn't respond, only wrapping her arms around her knees, resting her chin on them. She took note that they looked as though they were in an inn, and the three other girls were sharing a room with her. They watched her, wondering what would come next.

_We didn't manage to get him. This was our only chance, but because I wasn't up to it… _She brought her knees closer as her eyes watered. …_Because I was weak, there was nothing I could do. All I managed to do was to push him to use the curse seal. I trained all these years, but it's still nothing compared to what he could do. It's still not enough to convince him to come back. Oh, what have I been doing?_

She took a great, shuddering breath and smiled at Ino, Hinata, and Tenten amid her tears. "You're right, Tenten-san," she agreed. "We have to get over it. Can anyone… please tell me what happened after I blacked out?"

"Naruto went berserk, generally," Ino replied as-a-matter-of-factly. "He attacked Sasuke, and they fought long and hard. I didn't see much of it, though, but I could tell it was an epic battle. And… Naruto and Sasuke used what looked like their most serious techniques. I know Sasuke's technique is called the Chidori, but I can't recall what Naru-"

"He used the _Chidori_?" Sakura asked in disbelief. "Then Naruto must have used the Rasengan. But how's Naruto? Is he all right? The Chidori is deadly, and so is the Rasengan… What happened to both of them?"

Tenten recounted how Kabuto had showed up and rescued Sasuke from Neji. "We almost had him, if it weren't for that man," she said. "Sasuke's alive, and so is Naruto." The worry in Sakura's eyes left her. "However," Tenten added, "Naruto's still in bad condition, but it's nothing that we ca-"

"Naruto's _what_?" Sakura cried. She jumped from the bed, put on decent clothes, and sped out of the room, Ino, Tenten and Hinata on her heels. "Where's his room?" she asked them.

Hinata pointed. "Right there," she replied. "I left him with Kiba-kun and Neji-niisan."

Sakura pushed the door of the room open after knocking. She opened the door, and found Kiba and Neji by the bed, watching over the sleeping fox. "Good afternoon, you guys," she whispered as not to wake Naruto. "How is he?"

"Fine," Neji replied. "You can heal him with minimal chakra already. He can heal himself quickly, actually." The leader of the team scanned her. "How about you? Are you fine now?"

It was then Sakura felt pain in her stomach. She grasped it, and only then did she feel the bandages wrapped around her abdomen. "Nothing I can't handle," she said, smiling through the pain. She turned to Hinata. "Thanks for taking care of me." Hinata smiled, but looked at Naruto worriedly.

"Could you – Sakura-chan…?" she asked, not taking her gaze off the sleeping blond.

"Of course," Sakura said, green chakra forming around her hands, going over Naruto's wound on the shoulder. _So this is how much damage the Chidori can give someone, _she realized. _Even for Naruto, who has an incredible ability to heal himself… Imagine what could have happened if Naruto didn't… _She bit her lip as she pushed the thought away.

"You should heal yourself too," Ino said. "You have internal bleeding because of Sasuke-kun's attacks." Sakura frowned, feeling bad. Ino plowed on, but when Tenten nudged her, her voice trailed off. "Sakura-chan? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Sakura lied as she healed Naruto. She went over the wound again, and it closed for good. "There, all done." Green chakra still formed around her hand, and the people in the room watched quietly as Sakura healed her own wounds. _I messed up… I really did… I shouldn't have… I know I could've brought him back…_

Her stomach growled a little after she healed, and she laughed a bit. "Did anyone buy lunch?" she asked as she moved to close up Neji's wound.

"Lee and the others did," Tenten explained. "They're bringing it up now."

Sakura nodded as she patted Neji's arm, now fully restored. "There you go, Neji." She cocked her head thoughtfully. "So, any plans, captain?"

"We'll have to go back to Konoha tomorrow morning," Neji replied. "We can't possibly go after the target now; we've lost track of them. Besides, he'll be with Orochimaru, we can't deal with that."

Sakura's jaw dropped and dread filled her chest. _Oh, no… I can't have lost my only chance of bringing him back!_

"B-but…" she spluttered. "Neji, can't we follow? I mean, what if-"

"Sakura," Neji said sternly. "The team has talked about this. We can't jeopardize any lives because of your selfish wants."

"But Sasuke-kun's body is going to be taken over by Orochimaru if we don't get him!" Sakura cried, jumping to her feet. "This isn't just about me anymore; Konoha depends on it! We _are_ jeopardizing lives if we let him go!"

"Tsunade-sama will just have to send an ANBU team to go after him. I'm sure they'll be able to retrieve him. We can't, inexperienced as we are." As Sakura's mouth opened to protest, Neji raised a finger in warning. "Haruno, not another word. That's the decision of the captain, and the team voted on it. So live with it."

Sakura looked mutinous. Everyone watched what she would do. Finally, she sat back down. "Fine, Neji. I'll do as you say."

"Good," Neji said, not minding the stares everyone was giving him and Sakura. The awkward air remained until door opened and Lee announced lunch was served.

Throughout the meal that Lee brought, Sakura sat in deep thought. _If I let Sasuke-kun go, our team will be safe, for now. But Orochimaru might very well take over Sasuke-kun's body before we can send an ANBU team to retrieve him. Whereas, if I follow him, I can still have a chance at getting Sasuke-kun, or at least overhear any plans Orochimaru comes up with._

_I have to do something. But what?

* * *

_

Sasuke stirred in his cot. The pain in his side was overwhelming. "Kabuto…" he groaned, spotting the white-haired man from across the room as he shielded his eyes from the sun.

"Sasuke-kun," Kabuto said. "Finally, you're awake. You're usually a light sleeper, but this time you slept till lunch."

"What… happened?" he asked. "I can't remember anything after Hyuuga began to attack me…"

"I managed to divert the attack and take you away from the battle," Kabuto replied quietly.

"And what happened to Naruto and Sakura?" Sasuke asked before he could stop himself.

Kabuto looked at him slyly. "Oh, concerned for your old teammates, are you?" Sasuke scowled, and Kabuto went on, "Their teammates took them away. I don't know where they are now, or how they're doing." He deposited a food tray in front of the moody Uchiha. "Eat up. This is your breakfast and lunch."

"Where's Orochimaru?" Sasuke demanded as he took a bite of the meal. _Disgusting as usual, _he thought. If there was one thing he missed about Konoha, it was the better meals and nothing else.

"Orochimaru-sama is still in Hidden Grass," Kabuto replied. "We're out of there now. He set up a rendezvous right here, so we can go back to Sound together."

"I'm so touched," Sasuke said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That snake bastard pays too much attention to detail and sentimentality. It would've done us better if we went ahead."

"Naturally," Kabuto said, deciding to ignore the insults of the raven-haired Sharingan user spouted about Orochimaru. He really was too rude, and he wondered how rude he would be once the Snake Sannin took over his body. "But he doesn't want to let you out of his sight, especially on the road."

"Hn," Sasuke replied as he finished his meal. He put the tray to the table beside him and leaned against the headrest of the bed, thinking. His thoughts wandered over to the things Sakura said as they had battled. He looked upon her sentiments on being a kunoichi with disdain, but there was no doubt she had become stronger as she said she had.

_Nevertheless, _Sasuke thought, looking at his hands, _why did I hesitate on killing her? Do I still have feelings for anything related to Konoha? _He shook his head. He remembered the statement she had uttered as she had struggled to breathe in his death grip.

"_So you're saying, Naruto and Kakashi-sensei, and the village… they weren't precious to you at all. I'm sorry to know that. I'm sorry to know… we didn't mean anything to you at all._"

He still didn't know why he felt uncomfortable at this statement. He wanted to scream it was true, but something held him by the collar, refusing to let him go. There was something in what he had said that struck him. He didn't want it, however. These things only distracted him.

"_Sasuke-kun… Do you have anyone or anything special to protect?"_

That was the one that annoyed him most. It affected him more than anything that she could have said. No matter how much he tried to go around it, no matter how many times he tried to prove it wrong, it always came out right. He had no one special to protect.

All he lived for, after all, was revenge for his clan. He had no one, no real _person_, to live for.

The way Sakura said it… it was as though it was something bad that he didn't have anyone to protect. It was as though it was fundamental to being a shinobi, which was all he ever was, all he wanted to be and all he ever will be.

"…_I realize that true strength isn't measured by the number of jutsus you know, or all the power you can get, even from something evil. What gives you real strength is that you have someone precious to protect, that you have a very good ideal to protect, which is imperative in protecting that person._"

He looked at his hands, but stared right through them. _Real strength, Sakura?_ _You don't think I have it…?_

He was becoming very confused. His beliefs, his goals, they were slowly breaking down, all because of that one battle with Sakura and Naruto. A part of him felt like reaching out to them. A very small part of him actually wanted to come back to Konoha.

Sasuke punched the wall beside him. He had to fight that want. He needed to, if he was going to achieve that goal of killing his brother to avenge his clan.

But…

"_You were… that someone… who needed it most of all…_"

Why did she think he needed protection? He could defend himself well. And protection from what? As long as he was physically strong, he had no need for protection from anything. He was the best shinobi Konoha had produced from his age group. Why did she think he ever needed protection? Sure, he was emotionally unstable, but it wasn't relevant.

He was a ninja genius, a title he wore with pride, although he never flaunted it blatantly. But he couldn't take thinking about this anymore. It was making him feel bad.

He mulled over the possibilities of being able to train that day instead. He thought it over, and silently cursed the fact that Naruto had managed to wound him. Kabuto had been able to heal him, that was true, but it was only so that the wound closed. It didn't mean he could move as fast as he used to.

Thinking of Naruto made him remember the hot words he had exchanged with the Jinchuuriki. Something weighed down in his stomach as he remembered the things Naruto had said.

"_You're the idiot! You'll go after Itachi and kill him, then you'll become Orochimaru's goddamn container? You'll willingly give your body up to some bastard who'll use that body to hurt the people who used to be your friends?_"

He had thought of the possibility over and over again. Orochimaru would use his body as a container for his soul, but so what? As long as he managed to fulfill his task as an avenger and Uchiha, he was fine with any deal. Staying in Konoha didn't help in his task, so striking that deal with Orochimaru was the best course of action, or so he thought.

"_I can imagine your parents now, they're probably so ashamed with the sons they left here…_"

Sasuke clenched his fist. If there was one topic that was off limits, it was the topic about his parents' opinions. They were dead; how would he hear about their opinions? How would he know what they thought? Again, Naruto seemed to cross over to the realm of the stupid.

But… what if his parents _were _able to give him their opinion? Would they really say the sons they left in the living realm made them ashamed? He had tried his best to be a good son, trying to train harder to avenge their deaths.

But just maybe… what if this wasn't how his parents wanted him to spend his life?

"… _You may have gotten strong, _teme_, but you're still an idiot. You're still blind to what's in front of you… You're a genius, dammit! You had potential to get strong anywhere you stayed! You could've gotten strong in Konoha!_"

Naruto was wrong. Dead wrong about everything, except for the fact that they were mediocre ninja. They were the idiots, and he could see perfectly. He could see the perfect path to his brother's destruction: joining Orochimaru. He knew he had potential, but he understood that it took more than potential to defeat someone like _that _man. That potential had to be harnessed, and the only way he could see that done was by joining Orochimaru.

Over and over again he tried to convince himself that his old friends were wrong, but as time passed, what they had said made sense. He denied everything they said so that he could remain focused on the path he was to take. He didn't want them to make sense. It would only distract him from his goal. It would only make him want to go back with them.

He cursed, not wanting to think of anything that had to do with his estranged friends any longer. Today, he had to focus on training. Besides, the more he thought about it, the more he realized…

…they could be very well right.

* * *

Naruto stirred, his eyes still closed because of the sandman's gifts. Little by little, he opened his cerulean orbs. He rubbed the dried fluid off his eyes and looked around. He then glanced at his shoulder, remembering the last blow that the battle had dealt him. He looked at his shoulder, sighing in relief. _Well, looks like it's healed, probably thanks to Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan._

The door creaked open, and to his surprise, Hinata's head poked in. She raised her eyebrows. "N-naruto-k-kun…" she stammered, blushing as usual. "Y-you're awa-ake… How d-did you sleep?"

"Fine, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed in his most cheerful voice. "So, where's everyone?"

"N-neji-niisan is training with Tenten-san and Lee-san, Shikamaru-kun is with his team somewhere, Kiba-kun, Akamaru-kun and Shino-kun are taking a walk."

"And Sakura-chan?"

Hinata's eyes looked downcast. "She's… brooding in our room…"

Naruto's face was grim as he beckoned Hinata to sit with him. "We didn't get Sasuke back, did we?"

"Unfortunately, we didn't," Hinata murmured sadly, fiddling with the bedspread as she sat down on the bed. "Everyone is being gloomy about it, but Sakura-chan is the gloomiest of all." Her white eyes clouded with concern as she looked at Naruto. "Maybe you should talk to her, Naruto-kun. She's very sad…"

"Yeah, I think I will," he said, his voice quiet for once. He grinned at the Hyuuga heiress, who blushed deeply. "Thanks for the suggestion, Hinata-chan."

"N-no problem, N-naruto-k-kun," Hinata whispered, looking away shyly. Naruto scratched his head, wondering why she was so shy. When it seemed she had forgotten he was there, she didn't seem to blush and stutter all that much. He decided to ask her later. Right now, his dearest friend was in need.

* * *

Sakura stared out the window, quietly watching the clouds float by. _These are the times when I can really relate with Shikamaru, _she thought absently. _Why couldn't I be free of worry, like those clouds? Why couldn't I just float through every obstacle life brings me?_

_I failed to bring Sasuke-kun back, and I have no idea what I'm going to do now. Tsunade-shishou said we were supposed to come back to Konoha with information at least, but even that we don't have. In the end, I've disappointed her, and I never usually do._

She looked up the sky, wondering where Sasuke was now. _Obviously, he couldn't be dead, since Kabuto-san is a brilliant medic nin, or so Tsunade-shishou tells me. He's probably fifty percent healed, if my assessment is correct._

"Sakura-chan," said a voice behind her. She turned and found Naruto by the doorway. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she said in her most cheerful voice. She moved over on the bed so that she could have space for him. He sat down beside her.

"What do you think of all this, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, scanning her face concernedly. When Sakura didn't answer, he pressed, "We didn't manage to take that bastard back… but we'll be able to, next time."

"Do you really think there'll be a next time, Naruto?" Sakura asked dully. "The next time, it wouldn't be us. We've failed to do it again." She shook her head. "The next time we'll see him, it'll probably be when he's behind bars because of being a missing nin, and it wouldn't be because we landed him there. Some ANBU team will."

"Yeah, but that won't stop us, right?" Naruto asked, trying to grin at her, but failing. "We don't like losing, you and I. I want Sasuke back too, even after what he did to us. But I want to see him get punished first. He deserves it."

Sakura mulled over Naruto's words. There were times Naruto was just plain silly, but now, he just sounded so mature. She smiled vaguely at the thought. _He's right, _she thought. _I just _hate _losing. And it takes a lot to stop me._

Then her eyes widened in realization. _Of course, _she said to herself as she raised her head up, staring ahead, but not seeing anything. _It takes a lot to stop me. No one can really stop me, not Naruto, nor Ino, or even Neji. _She turned to Naruto, smiling. "Naruto, thank you."

"For what?" Naruto wanted to know.

She closed her eyes and turned her head, to look at the clouds again. "For giving me hope."

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair. No one talked much, not even Naruto. Everyone seemed too gloomy to say anything. Hinata felt tense in this atmosphere. It was as though the tension was so great she was going to be torn apart by it. After dinner, Neji announced quietly everyone had better be awake by six in the morning, since they would leave for Konoha by then. After they had muttered their assent, Hinata and the other girls went up to their room. 

The girls quietly got ready for the journey and for the night. Tenten, tired out from training, fell asleep right away after packing her backpack and untying her hair from their twin buns. Ino told them she'd use the bathroom for a while. Finally, it was only Hinata and Sakura left.

The Hyuuga eyes were very insightful, and Hinata was able to sense something was out of place with Sakura's behavior. She seemed more tightly wound, and there was an odd light of determination in her eyes. Hinata knew, of course, that Sakura was emotionally scarred, but there seemed to be something more to that.

"Sakura-chan?" she ventured. "Is there anything wrong?"

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and turned to her. "Nothing's wrong, Hinata-chan," she replied softly. When the shy girl didn't seem to believe her, she added, "All right, there's something wrong. But it's nothing a nice walk won't cure." She fumbled with her bag, looking distracted. Finally, she said vaguely, "I think I'll take that nice walk."

"If it makes you feel better, Sakura-chan," Hinata said, smiling encouragingly. Sakura nodded and went out of the door. Hinata stared after her, feeling a little unsettled with something.

Ino went out of the bathroom door, drying her long hair with a towel. "Where's Sakura-chan?" Ino asked.

"She went out to get a breath of fresh air," Hinata replied. Ino raised her eyebrows, then nodded, moving to the dresser to comb out the tangles in her hair.

As the comb moved up and down the silky blond locks, Ino realized something. Her comb clattered to the floor. "Hinata-chan…" she said slowly, staring at the mirror but looking beyond it.

"Yes, Ino-chan?"

"People don't usually take their backpacks with them to get a breath of fresh air, now do they?" She turned to Hinata, who mirrored her wide eyes.

"You don't think…" Hinata began.

Both girls looked panicked. "Sakura-chan!"

* * *

Sakura traveled as fast as she could, away from the inn. She hid her tracks well, and made sure her chakra didn't leave any imprints. It wasn't easy – for someone who didn't have perfect chakra control like hers, however. 

Her finely-tuned Sasuke radar told her he was in the village somewhere. She just had to find that chakra signature. If her instincts were wrong, however, she was willing to travel back to Hidden Grass and find him there. She felt just slightly guilty leaving her team without telling anyone, but it was for the greater good.

She walked the streets, feeling around for that familiar feeling chakra. _I just know he's here… I can tell…!_

Then she found it. _My instincts were right after all!_

She followed the chakra signature slowly, into the forest. The spiritual energy she could feel was getting bigger. Finally, her senses, heightened by chakra control, were tingling, meaning the owner of the chakra was somewhere near. She followed it.

Quietly, she approached a growth of trees, only the light of the moon guiding her. She hoped no one would jump out of the bushes anywhere. She was as quiet as a mouse, but as her heart thumped louder and faster in her ears, she thought someone might hear it.

A blessed sound filled her ears. "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu(1)!" the voice echoed in the forest.

Sasuke blew a great ball of fire to the piece of wood he had tied with steel strings to a tree. He jumped away, watching the fire die down. "Still slow," he muttered to himself. He ran his finger on his side, feeling the bandages. "Damn it…"

The hair on the back prickled suddenly. His eyes widened, realizing someone was with him.

Sakura jumped back as Sasuke directed a kunai to her direction. _He knows I'm here. _She decided not to hide any longer.

"You've been there for a bit, now," Sasuke called to the bush, his eyes narrowed. "Come out or I'll come after you."

Sakura moved in front of the bush, drums beating in her chest. "Hey, Sasuke-kun," she said casually to hide her nervousness. "Fancy meeting you here."

Sasuke smirked, sliding into defensive stance. "Where's the rest of the peanut gallery?" he asked as though it were no real concern of his. "I can't feel them anywhere."

Sakura smiled, although her eyes betrayed a little hostility. "They couldn't come," she said coolly. "They have better things to do. Besides, I'm the only one who has a finely tuned radar for the likes of you."

"Really?" he said. He twirled the kunai in his hand. "And what do you plan to do now that you're here?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," she said, wearing her black gloves, "you're coming with me to Konoha, whether you like it or not."

Not another word was said as shinobi and kunoichi rushed into another fierce battle.

* * *

"She's _what_!" 

Naruto jumped awake as the Hyuuga genius raised his voice. "Oi, Neji, people are trying to sleep, you know," he muttered, annoyed. "What's wrong?" He looked at Ino and Hinata, who looked worried, and Tenten, who looked annoyed at being woken up, her hair undone. "What are you guys doing here in our room? Where's Sakura-chan?"

"That's just it," Ino said, her eyes in panic. "We _don't_ know."

"She said she was taking a walk," Hinata whimpered, clutching her face, her nails digging in so deep that marks formed. "I was too preoccupied to notice she had taken her bag with her."

"She must have gone after Sasuke," Naruto said grimly, now fully awake. "There's no other explanation."

"But she doesn't even know where he is," Tenten said, frowning. "Why would she go out searching blindly? That'd accomplish nothing, in my book."

"We have to go after her!" Lee exclaimed. "It's not safe for Sakura-san to be alone by herself, even if she _is_ quite capable now."

"Lee's right," Neji said. "Why don't you wake the guys from the next room and we'll split up and look for her." The Green Beast nodded and went to the next room. The Hyuuga looked at the girls and said, "You guys better dress up. We'll meet up at the inn's entrance in five minutes."

All three girls nodded and rushed out. Naruto could hear Tenten mutter worriedly, "Honestly, that idiot… Never have I heard such stupidity… all this for a guy who knocked her out _twice_ already…"

"Ah, but Tenten-neesan, people in love usually act foolishly…" Hinata murmured.

"Yeah," Ino said, their voices fading away as they walked down the hall. "They say the most logical person is not able to love…"

"Wise words," Neji said quietly as he stood up to dress himself. "But unfortunately unneeded." It took him only a minute or two to get into his clothes and pack up his weapons.

"We had better get going," Naruto said. "Sakura-chan could be in trouble!"

* * *

Kabuto pounded on medicinal herbs as he waited for Orochimaru's prodigy to come back from training. He was making recovery pills for the injured Sound nins who had failed in eliminating the Leaf brats. Normally, he would've killed those nins already, but he still needed them to look after Sasuke. 

"Hn, troublesome brat," he muttered to himself, distractedly making the pills. Somehow, he couldn't shake off that feeling that something was about to go wrong – again. He had that distinct feeling that the Uchiha boy would get himself into trouble again.

He shrugged it off. "I must be getting paranoid, especially in these times," he mused. He let the matter go, focusing on making the pills instead.

But letting the matter go didn't mean it wouldn't come back on its own.

* * *

Metal clanged as kunai met shuriken. With the ninja knife, Sasuke managed to deflect the four-pointed stars and direct it at the kunoichi in front of him. She ducked just in time, and swiped her leg under him so that he would trip. He jumped to avoid that as well, and formed seals quickly in the air to spew out a large fireball. 

"Katon: Goukyakku no Jutsu(2)!"

As the smoke cleared, he found he had burned nothing more than a block of wood. "I should've known," the Sharingan user muttered to himself as he turned quickly to find her raising her fist to hit him.

He met that fist with his own. They connected, and the impact of the blow caused both of them to fly into opposite directions. In perfect sync, they flipped up and landed on the forest floor.

This was getting them nowhere. They were roughly equal in strength now that Sasuke was still injured. He debated within himself whether he should use the curse seal or not. He decided now wasn't the time. He knew the effects of using the seal too much; he could very well lose his identity.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called as she stood up. "I'll say it again. Please come back."

"I told you already," he said quietly, his voice barely heard, but she did anyway. "I'm getting strong where I am, so there's no reason for me to come back."

"Yes there is!" Sakura cried. "There's Naruto, and Kakashi-sensei, and the village…!"

"And you?" Sasuke asked mockingly. Even in the midst of battle, Sakura blushed.

"Yes," she said desperately. "And me. So please… Sasuke-kun…"

He only responded by running towards her with a kunai. Before he could get to her, she punched the ground so that the impact literally blew him away. He flipped so that his feet were perpendicular a tree trunk. As soon as his feet touched the trunk, he pushed himself forward towards her. Knowing he couldn't dodge easily while in air, she directed a punch to his face.

She connected, and he flew away from her, his mouth bleeding. He spat the blood out. "Sasuke-kun," she implored. "I don't want to fight you anymore. I'm only doing this so you'd come back. Please…"

"If you don't want to fight, then just go," Sasuke said coldly. "I'll even let you come out of this forest unscathed, if you like. I'm not going anywhere but Sound."

"Then I'll follow you around until I get you back to Konoha," Sakura said, her voice hard in determination. Around her hands formed a glowing blue chakra which she directed at him. This was another of the medic jutsus used for offense, or so the Sharingan told Sasuke. Both gave battle cries, and they clashed with each other once more.

Bright flashes of light flared in the night. Sasuke squinted his eyes; even with the Sharingan they were still irritated by too bright lights, like a normal human would be. Through the light, he could still see and anticipate Sakura's movements. He punched, she dodged, she threw weapons, he caught them. The pattern was almost never ending, unless someone decided to use the pattern's predictability for an element of surprise. But as they fought, nothing could surprise them now.

Sasuke's Sharingan hardly missed anything. He could see (and he knew she knew); to tell him where she would attack, the flash of her kunai, to tell him where she would move, the gleam of her pink hair in the moonlight when she moved, and, to tell him what she felt, her… tears?

Sasuke moved back to get a better view of her. He wasn't mistaken. Glistening down her cheeks was the salty liquid he had come to associate with weakness. His eyes narrowed as Sakura wiped her eyes dry. "I can't cry," she muttered, more to herself. "_Shannaro,_ I just can't."

"Hn," he said as he regarded her. "Looks like you already ar-"

"SAKURA-CHAN!" a loud voice interrupted. Both teens turned around, and saw the one other member of Team 7. "Are you all right?" He ran up to her and held her up to support her.

"I'm fine," she croaked. She glanced at Sasuke again. "How did you find me? Where are the others?"

"We split up to look for you," Naruto replied. "Sakura-chan, this is dangerous!" He glared at Sasuke. "You've been fighting him, weren't you?"

"Obviously," Sasuke answered nonchalantly.

"I wasn't talking to you, _teme_!"

"Same to you, _dobe_."

"You guys…" Sakura murmured.

It was surreal, she decided, as her heart flooded with emotion again. Naruto fussing over her, he and Sasuke throwing insults at each other, and she mediating between the two… now this was more like it. There they were, as though they were a team again.

A prickle in her arm crash-landed her back into reality. Of course. The three of them were on different sides that night. Naruto nodded at Sakura and took an offensive stance beside her. He handed her a radio transmitter, which she attached to her ear. Naruto spoke into his. "Found her," he said.

"Great," Neji spoke. "We're heading-" The line was suddenly cut off.

"Neji? Oi, Neji?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata answered instead. "We're being attacked here… by that person who rescued Sasuke last time!"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Be careful!" he exclaimed. "I still have some unfinished business here, so we'll join you anytime we can. Over and out."

* * *

Kabuto's instincts had been correct. Somehow, for a reason he didn't know, the Konoha chuunin and the jounin who led them had found out about their position. "Really, fate has a way with things, doesn't it?" he asked conversationally that the Konoha shinobi would have been fooled, had it not been for that deadly gleam in his eyes, not at all obscured by his glasses. 

"Yes, it does," Neji said coolly, positioning himself to attack. He could feel Tenten getting ready to cover that one blind spot of his, while Lee readied himself to attack. Shikamaru regarded the situation calmly, while Ino and Chouji stood beside him. Shino's expression couldn't be seen because of his dark glasses, but Kiba openly expressed his agitation. Hinata started distributing ointment discreetly, as they had been attacked just seconds ago.

They had decided to split up and search for the missing kunoichi. It was just their luck that a group of Sound shinobi had been doing the same for the rogue Uchiha, and had happened to bump into them. Neji and his team, and Shika-Ino-Chou, had met with a four-man Sound team each, while Hinata and her team bumped into Kabuto himself, surrounded by three other nins.

They had fought with each other, driving each other into the clearing where the Konoha shinobi had earlier split up. Now, the Konoha nins stood on one side, while the Sound, lead by Kabuto, stood on the other.

The Hyuuga heir felt relieved that at least Naruto had gotten through, but she felt dread wash up into her body, now that Team 7 would clash again. She decided to stop worrying and put her faith on the blond ninja. It would be her ninja way.

"Are you looking for Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto asked in mock kindness. "I did tell you before it would be futile, right?"

"It didn't get through the head of one of our teammates," Neji said stonily. Kabuto scanned the group and noticed that Sakura and Naruto were missing.

"Ah," he said, his eyes narrowing. So that was where the feeling of trepidation had come from. He knew he shouldn't have let that Uchiha kid go out on his own. He was too stubborn for his own good, however. "Well, I doubt you'd let me get Sasuke-kun before you do," he said casually. He held up his kunai. "Shall we?"

"With pleasure," Neji hissed. "Come on, everyone."

Once again, under the moonlit night, Sound and Leaf clashed.

* * *

Naruto looked at Sakura. "They've run into trouble, and we'll have to help them after this." She nodded. 

"We have no choice but to fight Sasuke-kun," Sakura said. "I'll cover you, and you go on offensive."

Quickly, Naruto formed his favorite seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(3)!" Instantly, about a fifty Narutos appeared around the area.

"As if one Naruto wasn't enough," Sakura said wearily as she slid herself in defensive mode to cover Naruto properly. The two sides gave each other another once-over. Without warning, three bunshin flew forward towards Sasuke, who hit them and made them disappear with ease.

A whole wave of bunshin rushed to Sasuke, who held his ground. Quickly he countered all their attacks by turning on his foot and hitting all the bunshin with his kunai. As he was distracted with the bunshin, Sakura came in to punch him. He blocked the punch with difficulty, careful not to strain his shoulder too much. As her hand was caught in his palm and her body was still on its hang time, she kicked out her foot to hit the injured shoulder, forcing the Uchiha to drop her. He keeled in pain, but he rolled away from the next series of punches and kicks from the kunoichi.

Her punches were continuous, however. She would not back down. As she continuously attacked him, Naruto managed to land a good blow in the head.

_They're driving me back, _Sasuke thought wildly. _I have to use _that

Sakura felt wonderfully savage as she drove punch after punch into Sasuke. Her purpose was slowly fading away, as though what drove her was her anger towards this boy. Again and again, one thought ran through her head: _I've got to!_

Naruto managed to land another kick to Sasuke's gut, and he wondered why the raven-haired missing nin wasn't fighting back as much as last time. Somehow, a feeling in chest told him to get away quickly. Being one to always follow instinct, he grabbed Sakura away.

"What-"

"He's about to do something drastic," Naruto muttered, watching Sasuke with apprehension. Sakura struggled to grasp the meaning. When she did, her eyes became as wide as saucers.

"No way!"

Naruto's instincts were correct. Sasuke raised a hand and covered the place where the curse mark was supposedly imprinted. Slowly, red hot marks flowed from that place to parts of his body, and as they came to rest, they faded away into black.

Sakura bit her lip and sniffed. Her heart beat faster, on a more fearful note. Her gloved hands were drenched with cold sweat and her breathing became labored. It was hard for her to fear anything, but there was one thing she had a phobia of.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, panicking. "Let's move!"

Sasuke stepped forward, a smirk curling up his lips. "Hn. Looks like I can use it without hesitation now," he murmured, looking at his hand. He felt, as always, great power overflowing in his system. His eyes lingered on Naruto's panicked eyes and Sakura's fearful orbs. He snorted mockingly. "Oh, what now? You scared?"

Sakura didn't want to admit it, but as Naruto desperately pulled her farther from Sasuke, she couldn't help admitting her body felt cold and her mind felt numb. She was scared – no, _frightened._

The curse seal was back, and there was no stopping it.

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Naruto:** Damn that Sasuke. He's going to use the curse seal again! And this time, it looks like he won't hesitate. What's worse, Sakura's phobia of the curse seal is acting up! How are we going to gang up on him now?

Hinata-chan and the others are having a hard time too. How are they going to manage against Kabuto? I just hope we'll get back to Konoha in one piece.

Next chapter, _Team 7 Clashes! – Brewing Trouble._

Aw man, how do I get Sakura-chan to stop crying?

* * *

**AN: **(1) Fire Element: Dragon Fire Technique 

(2) Fire Element: Grand Fireball Technique

(3) Shadow Clone Technique

Oh, boy, stuff is brewing. Can't say much here, 'cept that I smell breakfast, I'm about to be late and the people who reviewed got... dun dun dun dun...Akatsuki Robes!

Anyway, please review, ne? Reviews are my sustenance, yes precious...


	6. Team 7 Clashes! Brewing Trouble

**AN: **This is chapter 6! Enjoy! In this chapter, we'll have Sakura actually kicking ass... a transition from scaredy-cat to rawr!Tiger. And definitely a Naruto vs Sasuke, but not as much as Chap 4. But I hope it'll be satisfactory enough.

Sorry if I can't update in the next few weeks! I'll be grounded for the whole X-mas vacation, but since it isn't yet, I'll leave you with this. Sucks, huh? I shouldn't have been naughty...

I really REALLY wanted to work on my Marshmallow Collection, though! I thought I'd get to work this vacation, but looks like I'll have to sneak out... argh.

Anyway, here's my thanks to the people:

**Thankies to: PrincessChii, Dragon Man 180 **(it'll be an emotional clash, not physical. Sakura beats Sasuke at that)**, Little Minamino, Lady Evilness, Green Tea Leaf, Flames Of My Heart, Sasuchimaru, grilledjellyfish **(I pity us Kakashi fans, he hasn't shown up in the manga recently too...)**, Narumi-chan, Hinata-hime, Kawaii-Hisui **(everyone loves the idea, I think... thanks!)**, Cherry Arrow, Queen Cow and Steak **(you're seriously one of my best reviewers... singing praises for me, but really, I don't deserve it... -blushes)**, Only Secret **(I tell you, it's no cake with icing)**, Dust-in, Mistress DragonFlame, Celestartial Blossoms **(she develops a phobia for it in my fic. It's so connected to the bad moments in her life. But then again, so is Sasuke)**, SoulShine, warprince2000, Niebezpiczny Ksiezyc, Great Saiyaman **(then again, Sasuke's powerful too, jutsu-wise, so I'll say they're on par. It depends on the aspect)**, sweetmaiden, sirius183, tianne-chan, Liah** (the best compliment is when tyou guys say the imagery is good. Thanks!)**, Jewny, Mimiru-Sama **(it's a Hidden Village in a different country, like Hidden Leaf of Fire Country, or Hidden Sand of Wind Country. It's Hidden Grass)**, KonoDraike, **and everyone else who read my fic! I heart you all!

* * *

**Chapter 6: Team 7 Clashes! – Brewing Trouble

* * *

**

Sakura stood, transfixed, as she stared in horror at the boy she had loved – and still loved - covered by the black marks of the curse seal, his mouth curved up into a cruel smile.

Naruto, in desperation, carried Sakura away himself, so they would be a long way from Sasuke. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, trying to be stern with her, but failing at the sight of her pitiful face. "Aw, come on. Snap out of it!"

The pink-haired kunoichi was shaking uncontrollably as she hiccupped. "…I'm scared…" whispered, barely heard.

"Sakura-chan, come on!" Naruto cried as he shook her shoulders. "Come on, you're not like this… Do you remember when we fought Gaara? He was a lot worse than Sasuke is now. But you jumped in front of Sasuke when Gaara attacked him! You were so brave!"

"Let her be that way," Sasuke called from across the clearing. Naruto looked at him angrily as a smirk graced his lips. "She was always weak, anyway."

"Sasuke-teme…" Naruto growled. "Sakura-chan is _not_ weak!"

"But can't you see, Naruto?" Sasuke asked mockingly. He narrowed his eyes coolly. "She's scared _to death. _Or are you still playing dumb?"

"_Teme_!" Naruto yelled, hurtling forward. Sasuke smirked as he rushed forward as well. The Kyuubi's chakra emanated from the blond once more, as exemplified by the fact that Naruto's eyes had become red and his whisker marks more pronounced.

He threw shuriken at Sasuke and he caught them between his fingers. As he was not yet able to do anything, Naruto punched him in the gut, and Sasuke coughed up blood.

He wasn't going down easily, though. Sasuke managed to still jump away before Naruto could land another one. Naruto rushed to him, determined to deliver more blows, while Sasuke matched him in speed, wanting to get back for being hit. Sakura stared right through them, in her own little prison of fear.

Sakura often had nightmares of the time Sasuke had first been possessed by the seal. She could distinctly remember his crazed look and his murderous intent. She could also remember his heart-wrenching screams when the seal had first manifested after Orochimaru bit him. She had held him and comforted him in his pain, not wanting him to go through it again after that. She had cried tears that she hadn't shed since she was a young girl, being teased for the breadth of her forehead. In fact, she often felt it was the first time she cried for something not superficial.

She knew then that if he used the chakra he owned too much, it would awaken the evil chakra the curse seal gave him. She had feared the pain would go through his body again.

But Sasuke's words went through Sakura's heart like a sword. Somehow, even in her intense fear of the curse seal, she was still more scared of being called weak. Slowly, the feeling went back to her legs, and when she willed herself to move, she found herself standing up. Her brave words at the start of the mission came back to her. "_I'm not going to just stay back and cry while you two battle it out. Never again. I'm going to fight too._" That was what she had told Naruto. And by the heavens she was going to live up to her word.

She took a kunai from her pouch and threw herself into the fray, just as Sasuke and Naruto delivered a simultaneous punch at each other. When Sasuke flew at the impact of Naruto's punch, she stood ready to kick him back.

She had always hesitated to hurt him when she was twelve. But now… this was a different scenario. She had to believe she was no longer levels beneath Sasuke, or Naruto. She had to help Naruto any way she could, at any rate. She was now a lot stronger than she had been when they had left her in Konoha. There was no reason to hesitate to bring this one down.

As Sasuke's body flew to her direction, she stood ready to kick it. She pushed her foot forward and it had contact with his back. Sasuke managed to twist and put his hand on the ground, flipping away from her. Sakura moved so that she could be exactly in front of him. Naruto ran to be behind him.

Sasuke, however, was speedy. He hurtled to Naruto's back, and stood to give him a blow at the base of the vertebrae, a critical point. The blond twisted quickly, his agility enhanced by the fact the Kyuubi's chakra was leaking out once more. He only managed to deflect the attack to a less critical point on his body, however.

As Sasuke made to hit Naruto again while he was keeled over in pain, she threw a kunai and raced with it to Sasuke. He caught the knife, but he missed seeing her come under him, sweeping her foot across to hit his feet. He tumbled down, and she lifted her fist to punch him in the face.

As her fist landed, however, he had caught it in his bruised hands again. Summoning a fraction of his strength, he threw her off him. Before she could hit a tree trunk, she stepped against it and bulleted back to Sasuke, who was ready to attack.

She brought her gloved hand to hit him in the face. He smirked and blocked the punch again. As her body paused for a nanosecond in the air, she put her weight into her feet. Using his hands as leverage, she flipped up and brought down her foot on his head with a resounding _crack_.

Sasuke felt his head was about to explode as stars swam in and out of his sight. He let go of Sakura, who quickly went to check on Naruto. She did a quick examination, and Naruto said gruffly, "I'm all right, Sakura-chan. Don't worry." He stood up quickly and grinned at her. "It's good you managed to snap out of it."

Sakura smirked. "You have no idea how much I want to hurt him now."

Naruto cocked his head, indicating that they go. She nodded, and immediately, Naruto did Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(1) to surround Sasuke with about fifty of his clones. Sasuke went through them quicker than a bullet, shooting shuriken until all the bunshin had disappeared. But as soon as he almost finished off all the bunshin, he stepped on something.

He gasped sharply before a large explosion engulfed him.

* * *

Neji dodged Kabuto's attack just barely, his hair whipping around. The white-haired man's hand was covered in chakra, ready to sever his muscles. He managed to push chakra into Kabuto's system, disrupting chakra flow. 

This was very hard for him, however a genius he may be. Since being a medic nin required Kabuto to have good, if not exceptional, chakra control, so that finding the right place to push chakra in was getting increasingly difficult. _This man is as dangerous as Shikamaru said, _Neji realized as he twirled on his foot to use the Kaiten(2) to deflect the weapons Kabuto was throwing at him.

"You're better than I expected, Hyuuga Neji," Kabuto said smoothly as Neji attempted to push chakra into his chakra highway. "Hyuuga Neji, sixteen, of the Hyuuga Branch House," he recited as though he swallowed a textbook. "Called prodigy by many. Signature techniques: Kaiten, Jyuuken(3), and the very powerful Rokujuu Yonshou(4). To be able to master an advanced hijutsu of the Hyuuga Main House at twelve years old must have been no mean feat, Neji-kun."

"You certainly did your research," Neji muttered, ducking under Kabuto's palm, alight with severing chakra.

"Ah, but that's my specialty," Kabuto said easily, his expression clouded by his glasses. "Nothing you should be surprised about."

Neji narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as the battle continued. He was going to have to finish this now, or he wouldn't be able to help the two who needed it most: the former members of Cell 7, Sakura and Naruto.

He flipped away from Orochimaru's lieutenant, to buy himself some time to take note of the situation. He could see his team was fighting, yet again, Tsuchi Bunshin(5), and Hinata was weaving in and out of the trees with Kiba, looking for the source. Tenten and Lee were struggling to refrain from using their most serious techniques, which could take out most of the bunshin present, but they seemed to understand that this was futile as long as the enemy still had enough chakra to make bunshin. Shino and his Kikai(6) were making quick work of the earth clones, while Ino covered Shikamaru as he used Kanashibari no Jutsu (7) to freeze the enemies while Chouji, now big and as round as a ball, flattened them.

From what he could see, he was fighting an enemy who would either make or break their victory in this skirmish. Neji could attack the chakra highway, which Kabuto was using to activate his Irou Jutsus(8). But he had great chakra control, something that was not a good match-up for someone like him.

_Lee's Taijutsu won't work on him, since he will only sever muscles, nor can anyone trap him in a genjutsu, since people who have good chakra control can get out of that easily, _Neji thought. _However…_ His eyes didn't have to move as he used his almost 360 degree vision to eye his favorite sparring partner, the chocolate-haired Tenten.

_If she can distract him long enough with long ranged attacks, I can manage to get in Rokujuu Yonshou and close all 364 chakra points before he'd notice, to stop the flow until we can manage to get _the target _away from him._

He noticed she had caught his eye, and he gave her a signal, almost unintelligible to anyone who had not known them for as long as both of them had known each other. With the sixth sense Tenten had for the Hyuuga boy, honed only after four years of being his sparring partner, she nodded slightly, ever so slightly, that only Hyuuga eyes could actually manage to see it.

"You have no time to be distracted, Captain," Kabuto said, and Neji focused on him again, watching his left side as Tenten scrambled to get ready to attack. The white haired enemy appeared not to have noticed. He swiped his chakra covered hand, and Neji managed to duck under it, swinging his foot to sweep Kabuto literally off his feet.

Kabuto jumped over it. As Neji was still in momentum, he took another swipe at the Hyuuga's limb, managing to touch his arm. Neji felt a searing pain on his arm, indicating some of his muscle had been cut. It didn't stop him from using chakra, however. He grabbed Kabuto's attacking hand and used his injured hand to push chakra right into Kabuto's chest.

As expected, what had been almost fatal for Hinata before, wasn't the case with Kabuto. Neji noticed, from the flow of his chakra, that Orochimaru's lieutenant had incredible regenerating abilities, so that he could heal minor injuries quickly. Major ones, like this one, took a little more time, but it seemed he could make his chakra flow faster so that it would heal faster.

_But by forcing the chakra to flow faster internally, he's tiring himself out, _Neji thought. _It's only a matter of time, then._

He jumped a few paces backward as Kabuto prepared to attack again. His three-sixty vision gave him the knowledge that Tenten was about to perform her most dangerous technique to date. As Kabuto was recovering, the twin scrolls she used had already opened and were spinning in the air.

"Soushoryuu(9)!" she cried, jumping into the air and spinning with the scrolls. Before Kabuto could even gasp in surprise, she had started throwing various weapons at him; scythes, shuriken, katana, wakizashi, kunai, senbon, even a couple of maces, flew towards the Sound medic nin.

He dodged the first wave just barely. Tenten still had a whole arsenal, enough to arm a whole platoon substantially, in her scrolls. The second wave was comprised of weapons coming at him at irregular speeds, so that Kabuto could not calculate which weapon he was supposed to dodge first.

Katana nicked him, shuriken were imbedded in him, kunai pierced his skin, and a few smoke bombs blurred his vision. Finally, she threw a bomb of cold air, one which she invented herself. Tenten was not called a weapons mistress for nothing. Neji felt a prickle of pride for her as he used his Byaakugan to see through the smoke, trying to ignore the cold.

He could see Kabuto shivering in cold and coughing as he inhaled smoke. Neji had the element of surprise. He moved quickly so that Kabuto would not sense him. He hid his chakra well, and moved quickly to come behind Kabuto unnoticed.

Outside the thick blanket of smoke, meanwhile, Hinata and Kiba had managed to find the ones who were summoning all these bunshin. Kiba smirked to Hinata, who had found the four nins in strategic places without getting themselves found, thanks to her Byaakugan.

The two members of Team 8 sped in two different directions. Kiba and Akamaru ran quickly, the dog-owner's sense of smell amplified a thousand times because of chakra. He could smell the ground beneath him, the water lingering on the leaves, the breaths of the ones who fought the battle (_Didn't know Tenten used strawberry-flavored toothpaste,_ he thought absently), and…

"Damn, Akamaru," he muttered to his white dog. "When we get back to Konoha, you're definitely taking a bath." Akamaru barked at him ruefully.

Getting back on track, Kiba sniffed the air slightly, catching the unique scent of one of the Sound nins. "Found him," he muttered. With stealth and agility, he crept up to the Sound nin. Without warning, he knocked the nin out.

He could smell the other one just two meters away from him. He smirked and decided to have a little fun. Silently, he crept in the shadows, undetected by the second nin. He focused chakra in his feet, and soon he was walking up the tree just as silently.

When he had gained the advantage of surprise, he yelled loudly, "_FOUND YOU_!"

The nin yelped, jumped in surprise, and knocked himself out on the branch above him. Kiba laughed as the nin hit the ground, fully unconscious.

"Hah! How stupid can these Sound freaks go?"

Orochimaru's right hand, meanwhile, crouched and gathered his wits together. The sudden barrage of weapons had disoriented him. He couldn't see very well, his breathing had constricted, and the noise of the battles outside the smoke didn't make sense to him. He couldn't imagine how these brats had managed to drive him this far. _It _is _to be expected, after all. The team leader Hyuuga Neji wasn't called a genius for no reason._

"I'm not going to get defeated this easily," he muttered roughly to himself, standing up.

"No, you aren't," a calm voice behind him said, startling him. "I'm going to use my most serious technique on you, after all."

He started to ready himself to run for it. However, as the smoke cleared, Kabuto found that he could barely move.

_What the-_

"Looks like we got him," a long suffering voice said.

Kabuto looked around, his eyes darting from right to left. Only then did he realize that the mist had already cleared, only a slight chill in the air lingering, but his glasses had clouded over. He couldn't see, but he knew the Nara genius had him frozen with Kanashibari.

Neji smirked, feeling relieved that everything had gone according to plan. After Kiba and Hinata knocked out Kabuto's team, he had reassembled his own and let Shikamaru freeze Kabuto. The medic nin couldn't budge an inch, nor could he direct his chakra flow as he pleased. Even his breath was constricting a little.

The captain readied himself in a stance. "2 strikes!" he yelled, his palms flying forward. He touched two of Kabuto's chakra points and closed them.

"4 strikes!" Four more chakra points closed.

On and on he went, until finally-

"Rokujuu Yonshou!"

Kabuto keeled over, knowing his cause was lost. Sasuke would fall into Konoha's hands, _his _enemy's hands, once more. No chakra-using jutsu was available to him for the next few hours. He couldn't use taijutsu, nor could he even move.

He only hoped Sasuke was fighting back.

As he felt a couple of the Konoha chuunin tie him up and the others move out, he thought, _Sasuke, remember the deal. Remember your path. Remember your goal to be strong. Remember what you need to do.

* * *

_

Sasuke got up from the forest floor, panting. Opposite him, Sakura had also stood up, breathing heavily, while Naruto stooped to support her.

Naruto had been fighting Sasuke with brute strength, while Sakura had been making all the plans. She had told Naruto what to do, and planted traps and bombs to effectively break through Sasuke's defenses. Her use of explosives rendered Sasuke slightly injured, and even more so when Naruto added his own punches and kicks to Sasuke.

However, a curse-powered Sasuke wasn't going down that easily. Sakura sustained various injuries, but she had healed the most serious ones. The Kyuubi's healing mechanism healed most of Naruto's injuries, although the Uzumaki knew he had to put a reign on the power the demon fox wielded. However, whatever injury they might have healed by themselves, there was no denying the fact they were losing stamina, Sakura most especially.

By now, they knew their fight was going nowhere. Both parties knew they had to finish this soon. They knew all three of them had not reached their fullest potential, but all three of them were tired of stalemates.

Sasuke held his wrist, and he concentrated his chakra into his hand. Both his opponents recognized this move at once. Acting quickly, Naruto summoned a Kage Bunshin and it began molding chakra into Naruto's hand as well, to perform the one technique that could counter the Chidori: the Rasengan.

Sakura looked from one boy to the other, confused. What was her role in this? "Naruto," she called. "I have a plan-"

"Stay back, Sakura-chan," Naruto muttered, not taking his eyes off the Chidori user. "Don't get in the way, okay?"

Sakura looked incredulous. "But you-"

"I know, I know," Naruto said hastily. "My promise." As Sakura frowned angrily, he turned to grin at her sheepishly. "Don't worry, this won't get in the way of the promise. It's the promise of a lifetime, remember that."

"So why are you going to fight him alone?" Sakura cried, distraught. "I told you I want to fight him too!"

"Sakura-chan, look at it," Naruto said wearily, shifting his gaze as Sasuke powered up again. "I'm going to get hurt in this. I have to control the Kyuubi, even with its healing abilities, so I'm going to need your healing abilities to restore me later. And Sasuke… you want to bring him back alive, right? So you heal him too. Then you tie him up and bring him to Neji so that we can close his chakra points. That's why it's important you're not hurt too much."

"Naruto…" Sakura said in wonder. Since when was this dead-last in class so… _smart_? She shook her head. _Of course._ _He would've never been called the master prankster in Konoha without brains like that. He's been planning all sorts of pranks since he could walk._

"Just… don't hurt yourself too much," she said, her voice desperately trying to sound cheerful. "Because if you do… I'm going to dig you out of your grave and murder you all over again."

"Heh," Naruto said, smirking. "Wish me luck then, Sakura-chan."

It was going to be a clash between the two boys Sakura loved, and suddenly, her fear threatened to go on hyper drive again. She knew this would be the third time they would strike each other with their most serious techniques, and this time, for the success of the mission, all she could do…

…was watch.

* * *

She knew she loved Sasuke. Ever since he had left, she realized that what she felt was not some sort of childhood infatuation anymore, even if people said girls like her were too young to feel true love. 

Ever since she had first met him at the Ninja Academy, she thought this boy would make a very good boyfriend. He was smart, strong, and handsome, the kind of guy a girl would like to be seen with, to parade around like some kind of new pet. She had always pretended that she was in love with him. But being the smart girl she was, she knew that her kind of love for him would not last long. The first tender brushes of first love were delusions.

She was nothing but a fangirl then, before their genin days. All she had felt was infatuation and a certain kind of obsession. As long as she could best the girls who once teased her because of her forehead, in the quest for Sasuke-kun's heart, she was content. Not once had she really thought of his feelings. All she had thought about was hers, how she would feel when she would emerge victorious. And she knew she was the envy of most of the female population for being in Team 7, of which Sasuke was also a part of.

But when they began their genin missions under Kakashi, slowly, she began to feel different. The more she got to know the Uchiha boy, the more she realized what he really was underneath the perfect looks and the superb ninja exterior. And the more she realized about his feelings, the more she wanted to make _him_ happy, not for her sake, but for his.

And _then_ the brushes of first love started, and they were nothing but tender. It was hard to care for a cold-hearted avenger, after all. Rejection after painful rejection piled up, each more heartbreaking than the next. She had believed all she had was a crush on him, when in reality, it was turning into something more painful, sweeter, _deeper._

It was just unfortunate of her to realize that it really was the real deal only when he was leaving her.

And then there was Naruto.

She had hated the blond boy ever since the day he first started calling her Sakura-chan, though exactly when that happened she couldn't remember. She hated it when he would follow her like a sick dog, blind to the fact that she was doing the same to Sasuke. She despised it when he would "purposely" embarrass her in class by calling her Sakura-chan in front of everyone. She loathed the fact that this Hokage wanna-be had a sick kind of infatuation for her.

When she realized that she would be in the same team with Sasuke, she had been overjoyed. But once she learned that she was also to be in the same team with Naruto, she felt repulsed and had almost asked for reconsideration had it not been for the fact Sasuke was also in the same team. He was loud, immature, and a big showoff. He was everything Sakura hated.

However, when they undertook genin missions, she was one of the first ones to see that Naruto was slowly maturing, and was growing into someone she could be actually proud to say was on her genin team. The adventure in Wave Country, the first part of the Chuunin Exams, and his great courage in the second part of the exams opened her eyes to Naruto's potential, so that he had her full support when he fought in the final exam. His crush on her, to her relief, faded in time, when the purpose to best Sasuke overpowered the infatuation.

She realized how much care Naruto had for her when he promised to bring back Sasuke, on his life. It was a promise of a lifetime, he told her. It was for her happiness. A lot of what Naruto did was for her happiness. On that day, her feelings for Naruto grew. From that day on, she loved him like a brother.

Now that he had come back from his two and a half training journey with Jiraiya, the Frog Sannin, Sakura could feel herself feeling so much love for her blond teammate to the point she saw him as a younger brother, someone to scold and straighten out, but also someone to depend on in times of mortal peril. He was family to her now.

_Both of them… they played big roles in my life. They cured my tunnel vision. They changed the way I thought. They influenced my maturity. I love them so very much. To see them both like this… It's so painful._

Her heart thumped louder in her ears as her fear escalated. She prayed with all her heart and soul that both of them would survive. She just hoped this would fix everything, or at least something, between them.

Her medical skills would be needed. Her quick thinking would be useful later. All she could do now was watch and wait.

* * *

Sasuke's hand was now filled with chakra, ready to strike. Naruto's palm was already filled with a swirling mass of chakra, his bunshin holding him ready. Both boys stared at each other's eyes, remembering the first two times they had pitted Chidori against Rasengan. This was going to be different from the other time. 

Sakura was going to be watching, and she wasn't about to interfere.

Sasuke began running at a high speed, the Chidori chirping like a thousand birds. Naruto's bunshin took hold of his wrist and whirled him in the air before throwing him to Sasuke. Sakura gripped her face, her nails digging into her cheeks. It was now or never. Her heart clenched tighter, wishing with all her soul both of them would emerge alive.

Both boys pumped their hand forward, the Chidori crackling like electricity, and the Rasengan swirling like a tornado. Sasuke and Naruto let out a roar of battle.

In a split second, Sasuke looked at Naruto's red fox eyes, trying to read what was in their depths. _We had nice memories as Team 7, ne, Sasuke-teme?_

In the same split second, Naruto looked at Sasuke's hard crimson orbs, the three commas of the Sharingan swirling, and he tried to see into Sasuke's soul. _Aa_… _nice memories… freaking idiot._

The Chidori and the Rasengan met in an earth-shattering impact. A circle of dust surrounding the two spread out into the surrounding area, and Sakura shielded her eyes. The impact was tremendous, and the light that had emerged was blinding.

Sakura, her eyes shielded behind her hands, was afraid to look up, not wanting to see who was now in great danger. Slowly, she pried her eyes open, biting her lip.

In the middle of the battlefield, the dust cleared. Two figures stood, the bright, sharp lights from their attacks contrasting with the dark velvet of the night. Sakura squinted her eyes to see better, and she saw the Chidori and Rasengan were fighting for dominance.

Naruto pushed the Rasengan further with all his might, controlling the Kyuubi's immense power at the same time. He couldn't let the Kyuubi out, only borrow its chakra for the moment. He needed to get the attack through, so that he could whack sense into Sasuke once and for all.

Sasuke shoved the blue concentration of chakra into the Rasengan, determined to break it. He needed to get Naruto, and eventually, Sakura, out of his way, so that he could continue on his training for revenge.

Sakura bit her lip harder, almost drawing blood. So far, they were equal. If Naruto could only push it just a bit further…

"Naruto!" she cried. "You can do it!"

The coral-haired girl's words weaved through Naruto's ears. His best _female_ friend was cheering him on, so that they could both get what they wanted most at the moment: the last piece of the Team 7 puzzle, Uchiha Sasuke.

At that moment, Naruto realized one of the reasons why he wasn't able to bring Sasuke back the other time: it all boiled down to the fact he wasn't determined enough, that he had hesitated somewhere along the way. But now… now that Sakura was here, rooting for him, he could concentrate on dragging Sasuke's betraying ass back to Konoha.

His resolve to bring Sasuke back strengthened, and he found it much easier to push the Rasengan into the Chidori. Further and further it went, beating the Raikiri(10) little by little. He found hesitation in Sasuke's Sharingan eyes, and this only encouraged him to push the blue swirling sphere into the Chidori.

Sasuke's feet were sliding on the ground as a result of the Rasengan gaining more power. Sparks of determination seemed leap from Naruto's eyes, and the Uchiha felt it: he was fighting a losing battle.

He snarled, a burst of determination sparking within him. Uchihas like him never liked losing, especially to someone who had graduated last in his class. He pushed the Chidori further, obscuring the Rasengan for a moment. Shadows danced in the background as the lights from the two jutsus crossed each other.

"Come on!" Sakura screeched, her fingernails leaving deep marks on her cheeks in her anxiety.

_I promised Sakura-chan two and a half years ago… I would bring him back… it was the promise of a lifetime… _Naruto growled, and with an upstart of strength, began pushing the Rasengan into the crackling Chidori. _A promise… that's about to be kept!_

"_GYAAAH_!" Naruto screamed, a sudden burst of energy coming out of him. Quicker than ever, the Rasengan began shoving the Chidori back, Sasuke at a loss as he tried to just equal the force Naruto was giving him.

But Sasuke knew the slightly Kyuubi-fied blond was winning, and he cursed, the curse seal prickling in his skin at his anger. There was no doubt about it: Sasuke was just losing in sheer determination. The Chidori was losing.

The connection of the two jutsus broke, signifying the Chidori had lost, and it crackled in the night atmosphere, dissipating slowly from Sasuke's hand. The Uchiha's body flew in air at the impact, and Naruto leapt after it, pushing the Rasengan into Sasuke's shoulder, the only one point Naruto could reach accurately.

_You've lost, teme._

Sakura watched as Sasuke's body crashed into the earth, creating a large crater around his body, the dust forming a thick blanket in the air. Naruto skidded into a halt, panting.

Sakura broke the silence first. "Have you – have you done it?" she asked tentatively.

"I – I think so-" Naruto said in between gulps of air. "Sakura-chan – you had better go check up on him-" Sakura nodded quickly and let her medic nin instincts kick in.

The first thing she noticed was that a gut feeling was telling her something was wrong. As she walked closer to the crater, the feeling of dread started to settle in. The battle wasn't over, her instincts screamed, but she wanted to believe otherwise.

She took a step, hesitated, then proceeded to walk to the crater where Sasuke's body lay.

_Evil chakra swirled around him, giving her a feeling of intense fear._

When she was within a two-meter radius of him, she stopped abruptly, the old feeling of a newly awakened fear seeping in, much like the one she felt when the curse seal had first manifested itself during their first Chuunin Exams. Her breath quickened, and something in her screamed at her to run away.

But she was a kunoichi, and a medic nin at that. It was her job to face her fears, no matter how much it might traumatize her later.

"Oh no-" Naruto started to say, but his voice chose a very inconvenient time to get stuck halfway up his throat.

She stepped forward as the dust cleared.

Sasuke seemed to be stirring, and she quickened her pace. Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. He sat up to look at her.

She bit back a scream.

In front of her was a monster. If the previous Sasuke still held a resemblance to a human being, this Sasuke… was nothing short of a monster. His Sharingan eyes were set against black, his originally raven hair now bluish gray, and his skin and lips had become darker, a dark cross on his nose. There were brown wings protruding from his back.

She took a step back, and she whimpered,

"Sasuke-kun?"

This seemed to break the spell around Naruto. "Sakura-chan!" he cried, hurtling forward to grab Sakura away. "He's too dangerous now!"

Sasuke, now in curse seal level 2 mode, smirked. "So you're truly afraid of me, are you?" he sneered as Naruto took Sakura away. He slid into a fighting stance. "Let's see… if you can manage to get over the fear."

Before Naruto could deposit Sakura in a safe place, Sasuke was in front of them. Before Naruto could react, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's foot, hurled her away, and delivered a series of punches and kicks to Naruto, who countered them with much difficulty.

"You…" Naruto rumbled angrily. "Leave Sakura-chan out of this!" He tried punching Sasuke again and again, but he only dodged and delivered his own with apparent ease. Sasuke got in one good, clean punch and sent Naruto flying away, slamming hard into a tree right after breaking several that stood in a line.

"_NARUTO!_" Sakura screamed. Sasuke turned his attention to her. His mouth curved up in twisted humor. The girl choked by a cry, scrambling to her feet as the boy went slowly to her, as though aiming to toy with her before actually hurting her mortally.

Bloodlust filled Sasuke's mind as the more powerful curse seal took over his consciousness slowly. He wanted to see blood. He wanted to see Sakura's full lips bruised and bleeding, he wanted her to plead before him, he wanted to see dark blood trickle down her head, dropping slowly under her chin. He smiled that sadistic smile of his. She backed away slowly as he came nearer, her eyes wide with fear. A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest.

Sakura backed away into a tree, her mind absolutely numb with fear. This was worse than anything she had ever experienced. "You're frightened, Sakura…" Sasuke said smoothly, nudging her chin upward as he bent close to her.

"Get your filthy hands off her!" Naruto yelled, enraged. The Kyuubi was manifesting itself more than ever, and Naruto was at a loss for he couldn't control the power well. His body was getting tired. He hurtled towards the Sasuke, who blocked the punch easily. But the Uzumaki gave him punch after punch, creating bunshin to gang up on him, taking him further and further away from Sakura.

_Damn you, damn you to hell, Sasuke! _Naruto screamed in his mind, having no energy to actually scream out the words. At that moment, he hated his ex-best friend with every fiber of his being.

Sakura stood, transfixed in fear, as Naruto and Sasuke had the most mind blowing battle in front of her eyes. She couldn't handle it. Sasuke with the curse seal was enough, but Sasuke as a _monster_? And Naruto… he was acting strange. She could only bet that the red chakra swirling around him was the Kyuubi's chakra.

Sasuke powered up the Chidori, quicker than ever, and Naruto created Rasengan quickly. In high speed, they made contact, the Chidori being buried into Naruto's stomach, while the Rasengan hit Sasuke's previously injured shoulder. Sakura watched in horror as Naruto flew from the force of the Chidori, while Sasuke managed to maintain his balance.

Naruto hit a tree, and slid down it, seemingly unconscious. Sakura's chest constricted at the realization she was alone. Very alone.

It hit her suddenly, as memories and realizations often do. As Sasuke walked towards her after taking care of Naruto, she could see clearer now, as tears flooded her eyes.

She knew the Sasuke she knew was not the one she was fighting. How could this monster be the boy she loved? She could now see clearly, more clearly than any advanced bloodline limit eye could ever see: this wasn't her Sasuke-kun.

Sasuke slid a kunai out of his thigh holster, while Sakura held up hers in self-defense. In a blink of an eye, Sasuke was in front of her, pinning the hand that held the kunai to the tree, while he cornered her with his kunai to her throat. A bead of sweat slid down Sakura's cheek as she contemplated the blade on her throat.

"You're dead, Sakura," Sasuke whispered in her ear, his voice full of malice. "You made me hesitate the other time…"

The green-eyed kunoichi had had enough. Twisting the kunai expertly, she stabbed her own hand that held the weapon, the stinging pain of the wound snapping her out of the paralyzing fear she held. He glanced at the wound sharply, then shot Sakura a shocked look. She lifted her free hand.

_Slap!_

Sasuke gasped as a sharp pain shot up in his cheek, turning his head at the force of the slap. It wasn't an ordinary slap either, but one that spoke of Sakura's training with Tsunade. Then she said three words that surprised him more than anything had that night.

"You,"

"You're not Sasuke-kun."

"_What?_" Sasuke muttered dangerously. "What are you talking about?"

She grimaced in pain, but the look on her face was crossed with a sad smile. "I'll only die by the hands of Sasuke-kun," she murmured, looking him straight in the eye. "And you…" She shook her head. "You're not him, so I won't die yet." She was babbling, but she felt she had to do this.

The blood drained from Sasuke's face, leaving him cold. The kunai felt loose in his hand, and he took a step back, a bewildered look crossing his demon-like features. "Damn you, Sakura…" he hissed.

Pain throbbed in his head, and suddenly he realized he couldn't take it. There was a pain in his head, in his neck, and in his chest. It was _that_ sensation again, the one he felt the other time he had hesitated to hurt Sakura. Was it really guilt…?

He groaned, and he felt to his knees, clutching his head. "Damn you… damn you…! What the hell have you done to me…?" He raised his head up, the curse seal level 2 actually receding. His eyes were crazed, and Sakura stared at him with frightened confusion. "You're… the emotions… urgh… _confusing_…"

His skin fluctuated from light to dark, his hair grew short and long and short again, lightening and darkening so that Sakura didn't know which was which, and the wings were disappearing.

At last, Sakura understood some part of it. The curse seal was affected by emotions, making it retreat, or go forward. Slowly, before her eyes, Sasuke's handsome features, however anguished, were coming back, not reverting to his previous form. She knelt down beside him as a cool drizzle dropped down to the earth.

He was back.

Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around him, not caring if he could easily stab her in the back. She trusted him completely now. "Sshh…" she soothed. "Stop thinking about it…"

"You… why the hell do you have to confuse my emotions so much?" he asked half-callously. She gave him a small laugh as Naruto seemed to stir.

"Well, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, "I'm a kunoichi, after all. Emotions are my specialty."

He eyed her with bewilderment. Then, the curse seal taking its toll on his body, he drifted closer to unconsciousness. The curse seal took a lot out of him.

She was the stupidest girl in the world. Even after all this time, she still cared for him? He could hardly understand why she would go this far for him. Why would _they_ go this far for him? Until now, he still couldn't understand the concept behind their blind friendship. What was in this for them that they would try to bring him in by any means possible?

He mentioned this to her with shallow breath, and she laughed lightly again, the soft raindrops framing her face. He didn't know if those were tears mingling with the rain around her cheeks. "Oh, Sasuke-kun… that's what you get for being around cynical people too much." She sighed. "Do you still want to go with Orochimaru?"

He glared daggers at her as coldly as he could in his weak state. "If that's what it'll take to get me power… then I'll run away from Konoha again to seek that power."

She knew he was testing her, to see if she would lose her temper. But she only shook her head and told him, in one last ditch to get him to come willingly, "Did you know… Uchiha Itachi… he's a lot stronger than Orochimaru. That's why that snake never tried to go after him in the first place." A small, shrewd smile crept up her features. "Would you really want to gain power with a man who's weaker than Itachi?"

Sasuke struggled to find an answer as he scowled, but to his dismay, he couldn't find any. She really _wasn't_ forehead girl for nothing. "You…" A trademark smirk graced his face as his sight went darker, her softly smiling face tattooed on his mind. "You're so…"

"…annoying…"

And his consciousness ceased to exist, hurling him into a world of black dreams.

* * *

Sakura just sat there, letting the drizzle wash down on her, feeling it cleanse her wounds. She had imagined she would cry hysterically, jump for joy, and scream over and over again that he was back. It never really crossed her mind that she would be just sitting here in the rain, healing his broken body, waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. 

"Sakura," Neji's voice said in her transmitter. "I'm almost there. Have you got him?"

"Yes, Neji," she replied wearily, but not without a tinge of relief in her voice. "He's here, unconscious."

On the other line, Neji sighed in relief. "That's good. I'll be there as soon as possible."

Footsteps splish-sploshing on the puddles told her Naruto had somehow awakened. "How is he?" he asked her as he knelt beside her.

"Fine," she answered, smiling. She wished she could hug Naruto, if not for the weight in her arms. "Oh, Naruto, I thought - I thought you'd died!" she added, tears of relief trickling down her eyes. She hadn't cried this much in years.

The blond grinned. "Me? Sakura-chan, you're talking to the future Hokage here!" Sakura laughed. "But seriously speaking, Sakura-chan-" and he did look serious, "-it's the Kyuubi's power. It heals real good. But..."

"But?"

"The bloodlust, Sakura-chan," Naruto said as he looked worriedly into her green eyes. "When I use this Kyuubi power, the bloodlust - it gets hard to control sometimes. Sure, I heal quick, but at what cost?"

Sakura shook her head. "Naruto, you're really growing up. Don't grow up too fast for me, ne?" It was Naruto's turn to laugh. "Don't worry, Naruto, if it gets out of hand-" she winked at him, "-I'll be sure to be there to whip you back to normal, okay?"

"If you say so, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "It'll be a challenge, but it'll be worth it," she said optimistically. But then her eyes turned a bit dejected. "But the real challenge is… to get back to normal… the way they were when we were still Team 7…"

Naruto shook his head. "It'll never go back to normal, Sakura-chan. Ever since he left, the chance of everything being back to normal became zero." At Sakura's sad face, he added quickly, "But, but! I promise, Sakura-chan, once everything is said and done, we'll still be old Team 7 and we'll still have fun together!"

"You're right, Naruto," she said, nodding. "We've changed so much… of course it won't _really _go back to normal… but…" She looked at him grinning amid her tears. "…It'll be as close to normal as we can get!"

A few minutes later, Neji arrived on the scene. He looked around with his white eyes, and asked the two sitting on the ground, "You had a big battle, am I right?"

"We got a little scratched," Naruto said, grinning, "but otherwise, we're fine, Captain!"

Neji nodded. "Stand back, both of you." The scrambled away from him, and he put himself in a stance. His palms came flying forward, closing all the chakra points in Sasuke's body. "Rokujuu Yonshou."

The last phase of the mission was done. Sakura and Naruto heaved a big sigh. "Maa! I'm so tired…" Naruto said, yawning.

As the rest of the team arrived, Neji told Sakura, "I'll be reporting your misdeed to Hokage-sama, however." As Sakura opened her mouth to protest, Neji beat her to it. "I _told_ you to stay put. Do you realize you just put your life and your teammates' lives in danger?"

"But-"

"Sakura," Neji said sharply. She glared at him, but kept quiet. "You know, even after the heroics here, that you put everyone's lives in jeopardy. This time, the team's lives are prioritized, not the mission itself."

"But what if Orochimaru decided to attack Konoha with Sasuke-kun? Then we'd be putting _civilian _lives in danger!"

Neji shook his head. "You're too stubborn, Haruno," he said coolly. "You have no idea how close we all were to losing. What would you have done, if we hadn't waylaid Kabuto and the Sound nins for you? What would have happened if Naruto hadn't decided to leave everything to us so that he could find you?" He sighed. "I'm not going to waste an entire night trying to make you understand." He turned and walked away just as Tenten and Lee came to check on Sakura.

"Don't worry about him, Sakura-san," Lee said. "He's just doing his job."

"I realize that," Sakura said, sighing as she gathered Sasuke into her arms again. "I was just trying to do what seemed best at the moment."

"But next time, Sakura, if you decide to go on adventure like that, at _least _take me with you!" Tenten admonished. "You had us worried sick!"

"Sorry," Sakura said quickly as Lee helped her with Sasuke. "I'll make it up to you guys somehow."

"Everyone," Neji said, "listen up. Tonight, we leave for Konoha."

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Sasuke: **The clouds hang low, the day is gloomy… perfect for a journey "home". Everyone is silent… or as silent as the freaking idiot can get. _She _doesn't even ask me out, which is new, but given the circumstances…

When was the last time we all walked together like this? Hn. It's not like I care.

But I can't shake off the feeling someone is following us… I sense a powerful presence. A hated presence. Red clouds against dark skies. _Itachi_…

Next chapter, _The Long Way Home – Brother Against Brother._

How shall I kill you, brother dear? Let me count the ways…

* * *

**AN: **(1) Shadow Clone Technique 

(2) Divination Twirl

(3) Gentle Fist

(4) 64 Palm Strikes

(5) Earth Clones

(6) Destruction Bugs

(7) Freezing Technique

(8) Medical Techniques

(9) Twin Rising Dragons

(10) Lightning Edge (an alias for Chidori)

So, yeah. That's the end of the Sasuke retrieval arc. Short, huh? The Akatsuki arc is even shorter. Anyway, I really wanted to add Sai somewhere, but I think that'll come during The Will to Be Strong Part 2.

I just realized, this fic, and fics like it, they're rather AU now, aren't they? Since they're deviating from what really is happening in the manga... Whatever.

For those who reviewed (all 27 of you! I feel so loved) you receive... Naruto bishie pops! (Come in Itachi, Sasuke, Sai, Kakashi, or Neji flavors). Or you can have... Naruto bishou pops! (The female version of the bishie pops... come in Sakura, Ino, Tenten, Hinata, or Tsunade flavor.) So you can either bite their heads off angrily or lick them in tender loving care. Ah, the world of advertising calls me...


	7. Long Way Home Brother vs Brother

**AN: **Belated Happy New Year everyone! The Akatsuki arc has begun! It's about - yep, you guessed it - that AKATSUKI!

**Thankies to: Dragon Man 180, sweetmaiden, PrincessChii, Sya0ran, grilledjellyfish, neu chi no nai u, Apple-Mei-Mei, KonoDraike, SoulShine, Lady Evilness, Green Tea Leaf **(sorry, that's what was in Narutofan! Thanks though)**, Hinata-hime, magically-pure **(the closest to a love confession Sasuke can get)**, YoungSasuke, Dust-in **(coz we've gotta get Sasuke home soon)**, Niebezpiczny Ksiezyc, ellamr **(it's not ended yet, so the sequel's not in a long time)**, Mistress DragonFlame **(he still needs the clone from what I saw in the manga)**, Mimiru-Sama, gclp, ShyLittleAngel, karmen, Little Minamino **(kya, that's the best compliment EVER, to be compared to such a genius. No, I'm not him, I'm a her, in the first place)**, So-kun **(yap, I forgot to mention artistic license back there)**, Jays Arravan, jennjennr, Omolara **(thanks for the heads-up)**, Queen Cow and Steak **(seriously, I'm going to get so conceited)**, Bloodluvingirl, Jewny, susakuru, Sakurachild, Celestartial Blossoms, SakuraXx, Makurei, lilcutexmonstah, cutiepie777, briana, Staricy, loVeFoReTeRnItY, sillymail, warprince2000, xShurikengurlx, Tank, Annelise**... Damn, the number of my expectation of reviews almost doubled... that's such a big improvement! You guys are the BOMB.

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Long Way Home – Brother Against Brother

* * *

**

Lee watched the moonlight filter into the leaf canopy, occasionally making the shadows dance when something obscured it. He sighed. He was all for the strength of youth, but even staying up all night was starting wear – _just a little _- on his nerves.

As soon as the battle had been over, the eleven shinobi, plus their unconscious prisoner, had traveled out of the village where they had stayed at. It had been too dangerous to stay there, as Kabuto and the other nins could try and take Sasuke back once Neji's jutsu on the white-haired man broke. They had moved for two hours, and had settled in the forest for about six hours' rest. It was the fourth hour, as Lee checked on his watch.

His black eyes hovered over the hunched form he was watching, stirring slightly. One of his thick brows raised slightly in thoughtfulness. This boy was the cause of a lot of grief. Lee was not really one to harbor very negative feelings, so the most he could feel for him was pity, and a little indignation and anger, after the events a couple and a half years ago.

Lee was positive that Sasuke had little to no idea that he, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, and the Sand siblings had tried going after him together with Naruto, with no luck. The Uchiha must have known how Naruto felt, but he seemed not to care for others. Lee could remember Shino feeling guilty he couldn't join in on the mission. Had he, then things might have gone better. He still saw Ino pace back and forth by Chouji's room, alternately worrying about Chouji's health and Shika's emotional state. He could still see Tenten close to tears at Neji's condition, when the boyish girl never cried in anyone's presence. He had found Hinata sobbing in one corner, for Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, and Naruto.

But what struck the Green Beast was the fact that Sakura, who had spoken to the Sharingan boy and begged him to stay, seemed to be far from his mind. Couldn't he sense her care and her love? Now that he had seen the strong kunoichi she had become, would he acknowledge her? And Naruto had been Sasuke's closest friend. Now that they would be taking Sasuke back to the village, what would happen to their friendship? Would they be able to restore it or would they forever alienate themselves from each other?

He watched again as Sasuke moaned a little in his sleep. What could be wrong with him? Lee knew that having chakra points sealed didn't hurt, and Sakura had made sure that he was completely healed. What was wrong? Nightmares?

His guess was confirmed when Sasuke gave a strangled shout and shot up from his position on the ground. Lee started, feeling sorry for the fallen Uchiha. "Hey, Sasuke-kun, you all right?" he asked concernedly, moving closer to him.

Sasuke looked at him with wide, bloodshot eyes, and Lee cocked his head to the side. The Uchiha narrowed his eyes, looking away. It seemed it shamed him to show his vulnerability to the Taijutsu specialist.

Sasuke scanned the vicinity. They were in a forest, he observed. Everyone seemed to be asleep, and it was early morning. He looked down, and he found red spots on his skin, and he guessed that the Hyuuga had closed his tenketsu(1). His wrists were bound by black hair, which meant he couldn't get out easily, especially in his weak state.

He met Lee's eyes, which watched him. "You were having a nightmare," the green clad boy said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Hn." He knew that. He _always_ had nightmares.

"I'm guarding you," Lee continued, patiently waiting for a reaction. Sasuke only grunted in reply. "Well," Lee said as he leaned on a tree, "since you're awake and all, why don't we have a little chat?"

"I'm not in the mood," Sasuke muttered, speaking a full sentence for the first time.

Lee grinned, and Sasuke could almost swear he heard a _ping_. "It's not like you have a choice but listen to my rambling, right? Besides, it'll keep me awake."

"I'll go back to sleep," Sasuke muttered, lying down on his back again and turning away from Lee, who looked at him from the corner of his eye.

"Sakura-san's a lot stronger now, don't you think?" Lee asked, knowing Sasuke wasn't sleeping anytime soon. "She managed to beat an Akatsuki member, you know. With help… but considering it was an Akatsuki she was fighting-"

At the name "Akatsuki", Sasuke's ears perked up. He turned to face Lee. "Sakura fought an Akatsuki?"

"Yes. And Naruto-kun as well."

"What happened?" he demanded roughly, wanting to know in full detail.

"Hmm… I'm not sure if I could tell you," Lee said easily, testing Sasuke. "I might get in trouble for telling people who weren't on the mission."

"Just tell me, Lee," Sasuke hissed, not used to not having his own way. He always had his in Sound.

"You seem quite interested," Lee said shrewdly.

Sasuke frowned, embarrassed. "It concerns the Akatsuki, therefore it concerns me."

Lee chuckled a little and told him everything Sakura had told him about her side of the battle. "So in the end, she beat Sasori with the help of Chiyo-baasama. And Naruto managed to take Gaara away from Deidara."

Sasuke contemplated on what Lee had just told him. _So Sakura's… a lot stronger than I could have ever imagined. It's not just now, but even in other missions. And Naruto… he's definitely gotten stronger, from what I saw. Where have I been all this time? _He clenched his fist in anger, blocking out Lee's words. _If they got this good staying in Konoha, how about me?_ _I left Konoha to get power, but I got beaten by them, which only means we're all roughly equal._

_Did I make the right choice after all?

* * *

_

Kabuto shook. It wasn't nice when Orochimaru got mad. He really would become outraged once he found out about…

"Kabuto," Orochimaru said smoothly, and Kabuto looked up from the scrolls he was reading. He had finally found out how to get out of the jutsu the Hyuuga genius placed him in. He was itching for some rest, but he knew he still had to deal with Orochimaru's wrath. He flinched slightly at the thought. "Do you have something to tell me?"

Kabuto knelt respectfully at the Snake Sannin, fearing him at the moment. It was rare when he truly feared his master. "Orochimaru-sama, I'm afraid to tell you that…"

"Sasuke-kun's gone, I know," Orochimaru drawled, his yellow eyes glinting. His voice still held its cunning features, but Kabuto had no doubt that he was angry. "The nins told me. Before they died, of course."

"Maa, I have to clean up after you again, I suppose, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked jokingly, to ease the tension.

"Aa," Orochimaru said softly. He bent down and tilted Kabuto's face upwards. "You know how _terribly_ disappointed I am, right, Kabuto?" Kabuto weighed his chances, and said nothing. "We will have to recapture him, I suppose. Be thankful the circumstances aren't as they were two and a half years ago, Kabuto, or we would have a slightly harder time."

"There are… other things you should know, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said, shifting uncomfortably as Orochimaru let go of him. The Sound leader raised a graceful eyebrow at him. "About his curse seal… This girl… Haruno Sakura…" Kabuto flicked a data card at Orochimaru, who caught it deftly. On it were the details of the battle, or at least what he had gleaned from the nins who had witnessed it.

The Snake Sannin scanned it carefully. "It seems we have taken a backseat to our plans," he said at last, flicking it back to Kabuto. But he grinned in a way which made Kabuto shiver in nervous anticipation. "But not to worry. It should only take us a few more months to recapture him. He's not due to be my body for about… a few months, I should say.

"I won't say I'm not disappointed, Kabuto," Orochimaru continued. "But… this information you have for me is valuable. Now, I have all of Sasuke-kun's old team dancing into my plans." To Kabuto, he sounded as though he was delighted at completing some kind of collection. _Uzumaki_ _Naruto-kun… Hatake Kakashi-kun… and now Haruno Sakura-chan… Even with my loss of Sasuke-kun, this is all too perfect…

* * *

_

As the sun rose in the east, two black-clad figures moved under the canopy of trees, jumping from one branch to another, outstripping the wind. One had grayish skin, his eyes alight with malice. The other's raven hair, flying in its movement, contrasted with his pale skin. His blood-red eyes, three commas spinning in them, looked straight ahead.

"Oi, Itachi-san, we're close, aren't we?" Hoshigaki Kisame said conversationally.

"Quite," Uchiha Itachi replied silently. "A few hours more of journey should do."

"Hm. But _he_ won't be alone, now would he?"

"No," Itachi said. "He's been sent out on a mission, so he'll be with his team, but it won't pose as a problem. The source was unreliable, however… Didn't say _what_ mission it would be…"

"Oh yes, that was the one I "fed" to Samehada(2)," Kisame said casually.

"You shouldn't suck out chakra all that much, Kisame," the Sharingan master said slowly. "It takes up a bit of your stamina. The bijuu(3) we're after is quite… hyperactive, after all."

Kisame snickered. "That comes from the one who's going blind from using the Sharingan too much." The shark man laughed as Itachi regarded his statement, carefully wording his reply.

"Kisame."

"Yeah?"

"…Shut up."

* * *

It turned out to be quite a dull, grayish sort of day. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, and the atmosphere, a bit chilly, spelled gloom with all caps. 

Shikamaru felt content with the formation. It was the same with the way they came, only with a few revisions. Kiba still came first, and he and Tenten came in second, while Shino, Chouji and Ino brought the rear, Akamaru and Hinata at the very back. but Neji was tasked, along with Lee, to watch Sasuke. He shook his head when he remembered Sakura and Naruto arguing with him about guarding Sasuke, who said, as the Nara plugged his ear shut with one finger, that they knew him best, therefore they should guard him.

"_Naruto's right, Shikamaru," _Sakura had said, almost pleading. "_Please, just this once._"

"_No,_" was Neji's stern reply, intervening. "_You've gotten your way once, and once is already enough. Don't push it._"

"_Then how about me?_" Naruto had asked indignantly. "_This has been my only request since the mission started!_"

"_Like the Godaime said, keep your emotions in check. The mission is the top priority,_" Shika had replied. "_Besides, you're going to get in a fight with him anyway, and it'll be troublesome. Why don't you go cover Hinata or something?_"

The only genin in the team had complied, although begrudgingly. Sakura had taken the position of covering Kiba. "They look depressed though," Tenten said quietly as they journeyed back to Konoha by way of the forest.

"It's not my fault," Shikamaru said quickly. "It's just that… well… the circumstances call for it."

Tenten sighed. "I guess you're right, Shikamaru. But I sure feel sorry for them. They've been stressed out a lot lately."

"Ch. Emotions are troublesome."

For now, Naruto brooded at the fact they couldn't guard Sasuke. _We're the ones who know him! Why can't we guard him? _The blond muttered a rainbow of words that would have earned him a whack on the head, courtesy of Sakura.

Hinata watched his expression anxiously as they jumped from tree to tree. "N-naruto-kun?" she asked. "A-are you a-all right…?" When Naruto didn't reply, she said bracingly, "Neji-n-niisan was only d-doing his j-job…"

"I know that, Hinata-chan," Naruto said wearily as they trailed from behind the group. "But Sasuke…"

Hinata offered him a shy smile. "Naruto-kun… it'll be fine…" Naruto only nodded, returning the smile. But his mind was elsewhere.

Sakura, in the meantime, mulled in her own thoughts as she traveled alongside Kiba. "Oi, Sakura, what's up?" Kiba asked in his usually loud voice, Akamaru barking an echo of the question.

"Hn?" Sakura asked, looking distracted. "Oh, it's nothing, Kiba."

"You shouldn't frown so much, you know," Kiba said, grinning. "It'll cause wrinkles. Didn't you learn that in med training?"

Sakura laughed at Kiba's attempt to lighten up her mood. "I guess I forgot." She smiled at him. "Thanks, Kiba."

"There, you see? You look prettier already!" The Inuzuka heir winked at her as she giggled. He felt he had to distract her from her troubles, seeing she was falling into depression. He searched his brain for a nice distraction. "Kind of reminds me of this one time…" he began, watching Sakura listen to his story.

In the middle of the group, Neji eyed their charge with resentment. He was glad that it didn't take chakra to jump over trees, or Sasuke would slow them all down, though he didn't seem to want to. The Byakuugan could help get information from someone just by looking at him or her, and Neji could tell Sasuke was preoccupied about something. Why he was even willing to be brought back to Konoha without being actually dragged there, though, he had no idea.

Lee observed Sasuke intently while traveling. The Uchiha had been quiet since their short-lived talk, and throughout breakfast too. Naruto and Sakura refused to meet his eye the whole day. _He_ didn't seem to want to catch their eye, accidental or otherwise. Lee had heard Ino comment to Hinata how she couldn't understand why they wanted to stick close to Sasuke when they didn't even want to talk to him in the first place. He kind of understood this, though. They wanted to keep a close eye on him, to be close to him, even if they still couldn't find the courage to spare him a look.

Sasuke was actually brooding over the facts that Lee had given him, and was currently in a confused state. Had Naruto and Sakura actually caught up to him, if not surpassed him? Was he now the one supposed to catch up to them? Now that he was a prisoner of Konoha, how would he fulfill his goal, or even train for that matter? He decided right then and there he hated his life as it was right now. (It wasn't like he didn't hate it before, but the hate definitely intensified.)

At one point, they paused to eat lunch. They all sat down to eat leftovers from breakfast. Chouji and Kiba began to have an animated chat over the best flavor of potato chips ("Cheese, you idiot!" "You're the idiot! BBQ is the best!") while Ino and Tenten laughed over some random matter. Lee had turned to Shikamaru and Shino, trying to get them to talk, while Neji kept a close eye on their charge. However, Sakura and Naruto, for once, were not talking, only picking at their food while Hinata spared Naruto worried glances now and then. Sasuke smirked a little even in his tiredness.

It was a very short break, lasting only about thirty minutes. Soon, they were packing up the food and utensils again, ready to leave.

It was then that Sasuke felt it. A chill wind blew, making him shiver. His heart began to beat faster, and his eyes flicked from side to side. Something was there. A hated presence. He couldn't put his finger on it, but _something was there._

"Oi, Uchiha, what the hell are you standing there for?" Neji asked harshly.

His eyes refocused, and saw the whole team was standing there in their formation, waiting for him to move. He needed to tell them what he felt, even if they were currently his captors and quite unlikely to listen to him. But this matter seemed so deadly that even _they_ might not make it unscathed.

Before he could open his mouth, however, the look of apprehension on his face somehow mirrored onto Neji, Hinata, and Kiba, the main trackers. Akamaru began growling. The anxiety seemed to find its way onto the rest of the team. "What's wrong, Neji?" Tenten half-whispered.

"We are… not alone," the boy addressed muttered, silently activating his bloodline limit, his cousin doing the same. The team watched with bated breath as the two Hyuugas searched the perimeter with their eyes. When they found what they were looking for, Hinata gave a small gasp and Neji's frown was more pronounced than ever.

"What?" Naruto asked sharply.

Hinata and Neji's eyes focused on Sasuke and Naruto, who stared at them in bewilderment. "A couple of Akatsuki," the male Hyuuga said, watching the two boys' expressions change from anxiety to anger.

Hinata looked at Sasuke with some kind of bewildered amazement. "And one of them…" she murmured. "…looks just like you, Sasuke-san."

The other ninja exchanged bewildered looks, while Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke shared looks of mixed rage and fear, mostly on the first two's part. Sasuke looked simply furious. "They're dangerous, very dangerous," Neji said urgently. "The other one, Tenten, Lee," he said, directing his statement to his two teammates, "he's the one whom we fought in the last mission."

"The shark man?" Tenten said, gasping, while Lee set his jaw in grim determination.

"We'll have to fight," he said. "We've got no choice."

"Hyuuga," Sasuke said from behind Lee. "Remove the tenketsu seal."

"You're in no position to give me orders, Uchiha," Neji said, matching Sasuke's cold voice Celsius per Celsius.

"Remove it, dammit!" he yelled. "I'm going to fight Itachi!"

"What's the guarantee that you're not going to run away after the battle?" Shikamaru asked, distrust in his narrowed eyes, which most of the team mirrored.

"I can't give you any guarantee," Sasuke replied, "but rest assured that just this once I'm going to be on your side of the battle. I'm here to stay. I might have some business to settle in Konoha after all, if the battle turns out well."

Neji still looked skeptical. "I have no time for games, Uchiha. Stay back." Sasuke started to give a biting remark.

"Remove it, Neji," a feminine voice said, interrupting his progress, and everyone turned to look at its owner.

_Hn, typical. _Neji snorted in distaste. "What makes you think I'm going to follow _your_ orders, Haruno?"

"I'm not asking for obedience, Neji," Sakura said. "I'm asking for patience. And trust. If the battle goes well for Sasuke, then he won't have any reason to go after Orochimaru. This is what he has been training to do, after all."

"And if it doesn't go well?" Neji asked.

"Then we'll go after him ourselves, like we always would," Naruto said in hard determination. "We'll vouch for the bastard, as always." Sasuke stared at Naruto with a new kind of light. This one he tried to kill just the night before… was rooting for him? His gaze flickered towards Sakura, her eyes pleading at the Hyuuga captain. So was she… He couldn't understand it. He had betrayed them in a way that he could probably never mend. Why were they still supporting him?

"Besides," Naruto added, a grin on his fox-like features, "this way, he'll have debt to us, which he'll repay by going back to Konoha!" His cerulean orbs met obsidian ones. "Right, _kono_ _yarou_(4)?"

This quick, they were comrades again? Sasuke could never understand life sometimes. Naruto and Sakura were even harder to understand. "Hn," he replied, smirking.

Sakura felt something light in her chest even in the dire situation they were in. She began smiling in relief. "Quick, Neji, we don't have much time," she said urgently. "What's it going to be?"

Neji stepped towards Sasuke. "As it is, we're short on people. I suppose a _temporary_ addition won't hurt, as long as this _temporary addition-_" at this he glared at Sasuke, who gave it back in spades, "-won't be a liability nor a runaway."

"Hurry, Neji-niisan!" Hinata murmured quickly. "They're almost here!"

As Neji assumed the stance to unseal Sasuke's chakra points, Sakura began instructing them. "I know Sasuke-kun isn't the one Itachi is looking for," she explained to the rest of the team in low, fast tones, "but Naruto. I'm not supposed to say this, but Naruto is being chased by the Akatsuki. So protect Naruto at all costs."

"I have a question," Kiba said. "Who are the Akatsuki?"

Sakura remembered that information about this was kept to the higher powers in Konoha, after all. She only knew about this from what Tsunade and Kakashi had told her. But she couldn't keep the knowledge to a team who needed it. "The Akatsuki are a group of missing nin, eight or nine of them, I think, who are after the jinchuuriki(5) of the bijuu. They extract the bijuu, put them in their control, and use them to terrorize other nations."

"Does that mean Naruto is a jinchuuriki then?" Shino asked. Sakura didn't mean for that to slip out. Naruto looked at his feet as Ino gasped, while Shikamaru considered the logic of it all. Kiba and Chouji looked aghast, while Lee and Tenten nodded knowingly, having encountered the fact already. Hinata was practically trembling.

"Na-naruto-k-kun… is in trouble?" Hinata asked, close to tears. She turned to him. "A-are you, Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah," the boy addressed replied. At Hinata's horrified expression, he amended, "But don't worry, Hinata-chan! It'll pull through, really! I mean, we outnumber them one to six, right?"

"Right," Sakura said, a new fortitude in her eyes. "As I know, there's one Akatsuki to a bijuu, and Itachi seems to be after Naruto. But we won't let him fight alone. Whatever you do, _don't look into his eyes_. Look anywhere but there, because he has the Mangekyou Sharingan, which can evoke the three of the most powerful jutsus through eye contact: Tsukuyomi(6), Amaterasu(7), and Susanoo(8)." Everyone gaped at her fast explanation.

Above them, they heard a slow clapping sound. Naruto's brow furrowed as everyone followed the sound.

Dressed in the Akatsuki uniform of a black cloak set with red clouds, Sharingan alight, was Uchiha Itachi. Beside him was his partner, the shark-like Hoshigaki Kisame of the fabled Seven Swords of Hidden Mist.

Everyone's reaction was immediate and predictable. Naruto and Sasuke growled angrily, Sakura bared her teeth slightly, Neji, Shino and Shikamaru regarded the situation carefully as Kiba and Chouji tried to calm themselves and Akamaru down. Ino choked back a scream, Tenten's hand slid into her pack for her morning star, and Hinata trembled more than ever. Itachi smirked a little, while Kisame's teeth were bared in a malicious grin.

"Impressive," the older Uchiha said, addressing Sakura, who held her breath, while Neji tried to restrain Sasuke from jumping onto him. "I've never known anyone outside the Uchiha clan who knew even a part of the secrets of the Mangekyou. For a little girl, you also know a lot of the Akatsuki." All of them turned to look at Sakura, wide-eyed at what she knew, but she could hardly feel any pride in her great fear of Itachi's presence.

"W-well, they say knowledge is power," she said, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. She tilted her head up, feeling braver when Itachi didn't reply. "What do you want, Itachi?"

His eyes rested on Naruto, who didn't meet them, only clenching his fists furiously. "I think it's clear what I want."

"You're not taking me!" the orange-clad ninja yelled at him. He swiped his hand across the air. "Go away, Itachi!"

"So you prefer to do this the hard way, _children_?" Kisame asked, his hand on the hilt of Samehada.

"Preferably, yes," Sasuke growled, gritting his teeth. Itachi looked mildly surprised as he turned to him. Sasuke's eyes faded into the Sharingan, and, disregarding Sakura's suggestion, met his brother's eyes.

Even the leaves refused to move as both Uchihas scanned each other after three years. One eyed the other with pure and intense loathing, and the other watched the younger one with an expressionless face, only marked by the apparent disregard and mild amusement in his crimson eyes.

"I didn't expect you to be here, foolish little brother," Itachi said quietly. "So the mission of the jinchuuriki Naruto… it was to retrieve you." He shook his head. "You almost betrayed your blood by offering the Sharingan to Orochimaru."

"Better than killing my own clan," Sasuke spat. "I'll kill you for that, _Itachi_."

"Oh _really_?" Itachi replied, the amusement growing in his eyes. "We'll see, little brother, we'll see. But I'm not here for you, I'm here for Naruto." He glanced at the blond again, who promptly turned away, anger beating in his heart. "Kisame. Take care of the rest. Naruto is mine."

All it took was a blink of an eye for the two of them to move from their previous positions. Acting quickly, Sakura and Sasuke went closer to Naruto, knowing that the chance for fighting Itachi would be higher if they were there. "He's mine to kill," Sasuke said viciously to his former teammates. "You stay out of this."

Sakura was naturally indignant. "No way! I swore to myself that my teammates' goals are mine as well!"

Sasuke looked at her quickly, and so did Naruto, and only did Sakura realize what she had just said. "Teammates…?" Naruto asked softly as Sakura clamped her hands over her mouth and Sasuke stared at her dubiously.

Sakura then understood herself. All this time she had not been working only to get Sasuke back, but also to help Naruto reach his goals. Even now they weren't sure about Sasuke, she was still willing to give her all. All she had really wanted in her life was to help out in any way possible. She was a true medic nin, the supporting role in a team, yet an important member nevertheless.

That was enough for Naruto. If Sakura was willing to help Sasuke, then he'd help too. "Yeah, Sakura-chan's definitely right! We're going to stick by you no matter what in this fight! Besides, he's after me, so you have no choice!" Sasuke couldn't wipe that surprised look on his face. "But," he added, frowning, "this doesn't mean I forgive you yet."

"I'm not surprised," Sasuke said stonily, matching Naruto's glare. "I don't really care. Let's just get this over with."

Sakura felt crushed, and Naruto knew it, but there were just some things that couldn't be forgiven and forgotten that easily. However, whatever words she wanted to say were cut off by a sudden presence in front of them. Itachi looked at them with his usually expressionless face. Sasuke opened his mouth angrily, but his brother cut him off.

"_Susanoo_."

The world slowly faded into black. The last thing they saw was Itachi's murderous eyes.

* * *

"Oh!" Ino cried, watching as a black thing engulfed the three. She paid for her lack of attention by getting hit by the rampaging Samehada, wielded by Kisame. "Look at that – that _thing_! It looks like it's eating them alive!" 

Some of the team spared a glance at the former Team 7, currently disappearing from sight as a black hole seemed to cover them. Kisame smirked. _Susanoo, one of the Mangekyou's doujutsus_(9). _It allows Itachi-san to rip open a dark dimension and trap his enemies there. Combined with the Tsukuyomi and the Amaterasu, those three brats are dead faster than you can say-_

"Kanashibari no Jutsu(10)!" Shikamaru yelled, staring Kisame down. The shark man froze in his tracks. But before anyone could attack, Shikamaru got hit in the back by someone, who turned out to be the real Kisame. Everyone looked back and saw that what Shikamaru had frozen was a Mizu Bunshin(11). Shikamaru went out of the way.

Neji and Hinata went for Kisame, Hinata at the back, Neji up front. Without preamble, Neji ran quickly upfront, carefully ducking under the sword. He pushed chakra into Kisame's stomach, while Hinata managed to get in a hit behind his leg. Kisame swung the sword, and before Neji could react, hit him. He gasped out in pain as the Samehada grazed his back. The shark man smirked and began to bring down the sword onto Neji. White eyes widened, but the attack never came.

"Hiyaaa!" Tenten exclaimed, diverting the sword's course with a strong swing of her morning star. As the sword was out of the way, Hinata and Neji decided to attack again. They went to squeeze Kisame in between them, their palms forward, but suddenly, there was a poof and a cloud of dust. The cousins were hurled into opposite directions.

"What the-" Neji began sharply. The dust cleared and all that was left was a log. "Kawarimi(12)," he hissed in realization. He had hit his own cousin, who had hit him with her attack unknowingly.

"I'm sorry, Neji-niisan!" Hinata called as she quickly stood up. He only nodded, looking around for their enemy.

"Here I am," Kisame's voice said behind Chouji. The orange-haired boy grit his teeth and quickly rolled away to avoid the attack. He narrowed his eyes as the Samehada scraped against his back. Kisame smirked as the Akimichi began to bleed freely.

Hinata found the flow of chakra disturbing as her teammates fought the Akatsuki. Something wasn't right. She watched as Kisame swung the sword again, catching Ino and Kiba at once. There was that disturbance in chakra flow again. Akamaru barked, and Kiba, although injured, threw a smoke bomb. Purple smoke engulfed Kisame, and the dog and his master did the Gatsuuga(13). When the smoke cleared, Kiba cried, "No way!"

Kisame had disappeared again. "He's fast," Shikamaru muttered, frowning. Hinata went to heal Kiba with her ointment.

"I'm right here," Kisame said, and Shino whipped around. Quickly, he made his bugs cover the sword as he attacked Kisame. Unfortunately, even as the bug controller got in a good punch, the sword managed to scrape against his skin.

It was then that Hinata understood the chakra flow. "You guys!" she yelled as loud as she could. "The sword sucks out chakra! Be careful with it!"

"That's a nice deduction," Kisame muttered into her ear. Hinata saw with her Byakuugan the shark man behind her. She sucked in her breath. Kiba tried to grab her away, but one swipe rendered him flying away from Hinata.

"Hinata-sama!" Neji shouted, starting forward. Kisame smirked as a water replica appeared beside him.

"Suiro no Jutsu(14)," the replica muttered, mirroring the original one's sneer. Hinata's breath caught, and in an instant, she was trapped in a bubble-like chamber, filled with water. There was no escape for her.

* * *

Naruto looked around. This void was so strange. He could feel the ground beneath him, and he felt a tree behind him. There seemed to be no escape. He could see Sakura and Sasuke, but otherwise, it was all black. "So this is the Susanoo," Sasuke muttered under his breath as Sakura fought to get her bearings. 

"It's like… being underwater, except that I can breathe," she said, her voice quivering. "It's like – the lights went totally out."

"What an accurate description," Itachi's voice murmured against her ear, and she started, her hair standing. She turned around and saw the older Uchiha looking coolly impressed. She averted her eyes as she backed away from him.

"_Itachi_…" Sasuke seethed. "I'm going to kill you!" Itachi only looked at him as if he were a mildly interesting TV show.

Naruto and Sakura walked towards Sasuke, the former baring his fangs, the latter apprehensive with fear. "You guys," she whispered. "Don't let your anger blind you. You know more than I do how dangerous Uchiha Itachi is. Don't let your anger get the better of you, okay?"

"Aa," Sasuke replied, not taking his eyes off Itachi as Naruto nodded.

Itachi seemed to sense they were not going to go down without a fight. "Very well," he murmured. Doing a seal quickly, he said, "Magen: Jubaku Satsu(15)." He disappeared. The three looked down and realized roots were growing under their feet. Soon enough, they were bound by the quickly growing branches of the tree.

"Gnn!" Naruto said. "I – I can't get loose!"

As the three of them struggled, Sakura thought, _But_ _this is impossible! We're in a genjutsu, we can't be trapped by another genjutsu! _"Kai(16)!" she said, releasing the jutsu's hold on them before Itachi could attack. She looked around quickly at Sasuke and Naruto. "This isn't a genjutsu!" she said. "We really _are_ in another dimension!"

_It's a junction between two dimensions, _Itachi corrected in his head. _That's why you can feel tangible things in where you had been, but cannot see them. A more accurate description would be a literal black hole – in the continuity of space, that is._

Sasuke only frowned harder and molded his chakra to summon the curse seal. Sakura bit her lip, but she reassured herself that this time, they were on they same side. Itachi reappeared, his face still stoic. Sasuke growled and proceeded to throw quick punches and kicks to his brother. Naruto cried out as well and went to join Sasuke in trading blows with the elder Uchiha. They didn't seem to notice, but Sakura could see that Itachi was countering with ease.

After playing with the two for a while, dodging and ducking their blows easily, he decided to end it. As Sasuke flew to him with a fist aloft, he grabbed the oncoming fist by the wrist. Naruto, simultaneously attacking, was kicked to the side, flying to the opposite direction, hitting something unseen. As Sasuke was in hang-time, Itachi increased the pressure on his younger brother's wrist. It snapped, and before Sasuke could cry out in pain, Itachi sent him flying away.

Sakura, moving quickly, caught Sasuke before he crashed into an unseen tree. Without waiting, the medic healed his wrist. "Thanks," he muttered. _It'll make a difference now, fighting with him, _he thought. _At least now I have a medic nin on call._

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(17)!" Naruto cried, creating about five clones of him. Itachi stood on the ready. The five bunshin ran to the Sharingan master. "U-zu-ma-ki Naruto Rendan(18)!" each clone yelled, hitting Itachi with every syllable. However, all he had to do was send shuriken flying to make all of the bunshin disappear.

Sasuke watched as Itachi was distracted with the bunshin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another Naruto clone summon from a scroll a familiar weapon. _Fuuma_ _shuriken_(19)Sure enough, the giant throwing star was in his hands.

"Here, Sasuke!" he yelled, throwing the Fuuma shuriken towards him. Sasuke then remembered the maneuver he and Naruto had performed during that fight with Zabuza, and realized that Naruto was planning to do a similar thing.

"Aa!" he shouted, catching the weapon in his hand. He threw the giant shuriken at Itachi, which was the real Naruto transformed as a Fuuma shuriken.

_What are these two planning? _Itachi thought, holding out his hand to catch the rapidly approaching weapon, which he saw, with his Sharingan, was the Uzumaki.

As Itachi focused his attention on catching Naruto, Sasuke smirked, holding the real Fuuma shuriken in his hands. _Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_(20), he thought, sending the shuriken flying, disguised in the flames.

It was too late for Itachi to realize that what he was supposed to be watching was the flaming shuriken. He dodged Naruto and caught the flaming shuriken. The blond used the split second Itachi used to catch the shuriken to lift up in the air. Giving an almighty cry, he brought his foot down onto Itachi.

The older Uchiha managed to dodge, but barely. As he moved to the side, Sakura caught him at the end of her punch. "HERE!" she shouted, sending him flying to Sasuke. Moving as quickly as he could, he got in a stab to Itachi's thigh with a kunai. The older one's eyes widened, and Sasuke smirked.

"Don't feel like you've won, yet, foolish little brother," Itachi murmured. From behind him, Naruto spotted movement. A Kage Bunshin emerged from the shadows, knocking Sasuke away from the real Itachi. As Sasuke was preoccupied with the bunshin, Itachi sped to Naruto, who still refused to meet his eyes. "Yume no Sekai(21)," Itachi said.

Immediately, Naruto felt his weariness fade from his body. Suddenly, it was bright, and he felt energetic again. He blinked, and what met his eyes was something he didn't expect.

There was a twelve year old Sakura, trying to get a younger Sasuke to talk, in vain. Kakashi was there, lounging by the bridge, reading the infamous Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto grinned, the real situation fading away from his memory. "_Sakura-chan!_" he yelled at the top of his voice.

"_Naruto!_" she yelled back. "_Come over here!_"

"_Hn_," Sasuke muttered, smirking a little. "_You're even later than Kakashi this time._"

"_Well, well!_" Naruto stuttered. "_I was going to get ramen!_"

"_Then we should've gone together!_" Sakura exclaimed, taking his hand. "_Come on, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei!_"

There was a tap on Naruto's shoulder, and as he turned, he saw, that beyond the young , smiling, Sakura, was a taller version of her, scratched and tired-looking. He frowned in thoughtfulness, not remembering, and she said, "Kai!"

Immediately, reality came flooding back to him as Sasuke grabbed him away from Itachi. Sakura managed a kick to the missing nin's shin, and he stumbled. "What happened?" Naruto asked Sasuke, who watched Sakura scramble away as Itachi swayed.

"He trapped you in a genjutsu, and Sakura broke you away from it," Sasuke muttered. To Sakura, he asked, "What's wrong with him?"

"He's weakened," Sakura muttered. "Kakashi-sensei told me using the Mangekyou has bad effects on the stamina. He's weakening little by little while he tries to keep us in this jutsu."

"What would that pervert know?" Sasuke spat. "Not unless he has-" At Sakura's expression, realization dawned on him. "He – he got the Mangekyou? B-but how?"

"I don't know either, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, focusing her attention on Itachi. "Right now, we have to deal with _him_." She grinned at them, that light of resolve in her eyes again. "I have a plan."

Itachi watched as the three muttered among themselves. _They have a plan. _His crimson eyes rested on the pink-haired girl he didn't know. _She seemed to have figured out that my stamina has lowered because of using the Mangekyou. As expected. Kakashi-san must have told her. _Suddenly, his eyes told him that they were about to attack.

Sakura focused chakra to her feet and ran towards Itachi, sending a punch his way. He dodged it easily, catching her gloved hand in his own, but she twisted so that she could hit his head. The eldest Uchiha looked around and saw that he was surrounded by about a hundred Kage Bunshin of Naruto. Using his head as leverage, Sakura flew out of the way as Naruto sent all his bunshin to attack Itachi.

The Uchiha Akatsuki felt the apparent uselessness of the bunshin attack. As he kicked, dodged, punched and eliminated the bunshin, something was amiss. Team 7 wasn't attacking him anymore.

"Chidori!"

As he made the last of the bunshin disappear, he realized his younger brother had just evoked his most powerful jutsu to date. The younger boy ran to him in high speed, the blue chakra concentration crackling in his hands. Itachi quickly read his brother's movements. _Right… left… jump… above!_

Sasuke thrust his arm quickly towards Itachi's head. The older one grabbed the younger one's wrist, but the Chidori managed to graze his arm, singeing his sleeve and melting off some of the skin.

But unfortunately, the attack was unsuccessful. "Foolish little brother," Itachi said slowly as Sasuke's face was a canvas of frustration and rage, "you've been a hindrance to my goal long enough."

Naruto watched apprehensively as Sharingan met calm Mangekyou Sharingan. Sakura waited with bated breath.

Then she sensed a change in the flow of Itachi's chakra. _Oh no!_ she cried to herself. Focusing her chakra into her feet once more, she sped into the space between the two brothers.

Sasuke watched, entranced at the swirling commas of his brother's eyes. The Mangekyou was about to work its skills.

"Tsu-"

Before Itachi could finish molding his chakra, his eye contact with his brother broke, to be replaced by Sakura's eye contact with him. It was too late now.

"-kuyomi."

Sakura's eyes widened, and her knees met. In the fraction of a nanosecond, she knew she was about to experience absolute hell.

_Tsukuyomi_…

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Naruto: **That murdering bastard! How could he! I've never seen Sakura-chan in this kind of state – it's even too painful to listen to her scream in agony! She's suffering because she just saved Sasuke's betraying ass!

Sasuke-teme seems to think so too, since he's gone crazy, saying he'll kill Itachi. Well, who can blame him? Personally, I'd like to kill that freaky-eyed bastard a thousand times for making Sakura-chan suffer like that! I'll really REALLY kill him! I swear to Buddha and Kami-sama I will!

Next chapter: _Pain Beyond Pain – An Avenger's Choice._

Sakura's down for the count. I just hope she makes it…

* * *

**AN: **(1) Chakra points  
(2) Shark skin. Kisame's sword  
(3) Tailed beast/demon  
(4) Jerk  
(5) Human vessel  
(6) Moon Reader  
(7) Shining Heaven  
(8) Dark Storm (rough translation); made up. Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo are divine siblings. It's known in the anime that the first two are of the Mangekyou Sharingan, so it's logical that the third unknown jutsu would be named Susanoo. I think it has something to do with manipulating dimensions just like Kakashi did with Deidara.  
(9) Advanced bloodline eye technique  
(10) Body Bind Technique  
(11) Water Clone  
(12) Body Switch  
(13) Double Fang  
(14) Water Prison Technique  
(15) Demonic Vision: Tree Bind Death  
(16) Release  
(17) Shadow Clone Techniqu  
(18) Uzumaki Naruto Combo  
(19) Shadow throwing star  
(20) Fire Skill: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique  
(21) Dream World; quite literal and made up.

To those who reviewed... you get... drum roll please... a free Akamaru plushie in all its big-white-doggish glory!  



	8. Pain Beyond Pain – An Avenger’s Choice

**AN: **Chapter 8 begins! Just so you know, I'm tired of numbering the translations of the jutsus, so the previously mentioned won't be translated anymore. Only the ones I haven't mentioned previously are the stuff I'm going to translate. Thanks for understanding.

Also, this chapter seems shorter than the rest. Nothing much happens here… just another flurry of action. I'm sure you guys must be too bored now.

Just a side note, I noticed I kind of made a little weirdo thing about alternate couples in the last chapter (KibaSaku, ItaSaku... the works.) Just so you guys know, this is a straight SASUSAKU. All the way man. Kiba and Itachi-sama will be set aside for OCs. (And I promise they won't be Mary Sues. I LOATHE Mary Sues. And only for plot development.)

**Thankies go to: sweetmaiden, edakumi-sama, PrincessChii **(one of my fave scenes was the one with Kisame-chan and Ita-chan)**, Kakaru, Apple-Mei-Mei **(between you and me, your guess is quite near)**, Flames Of My Heart, Little Minamino, Sakurachild **(what's a good fic without cliffhangers?)**, Dragon Man 180 **(I don't know either, since it's Hinata who's trapped)**, Green Tea, SoulShine, YoungSasuke, Hinata-hime, Mistress DragonFlame **(hee, I'll stick to how I interpret the manga (KAGE BUNSHIN!). And spotted the hinty-winty of ItaSaku, have ya? - giggles-)**, 2sidesof1soul **(I love your review! I love all the really long ones!)**, Sakura's Hope, Jays Arravan **(he'll do nasty things, but not in this chapter)**, Dust-in, neu chi no nai u, karmen, Celestartial Blossoms, Queen Cow and Steak **(nothing too harsh. But still harsh all the same)**, Great Saiyaman **(what's a Narutoepic without NaruHina?)**, kyuubichick2486, Uzamaki-Girl, Matt and T.K, Cherry Arrow, sillymail, Princess Yang Fa, MyLittleCougarPaws, warprince2000, Lady Evilness, Shannarogirl, Only Secret **(when you said you were upset, I almost got a heart attack)**, DarkNightDreamer, Niebezpiczny Ksiezyc, Mimiru-Sama, itchinhi, AkkirakoChikuro **(that's Tsukuyomi. And no one can fight the Tsukuyomi, not even Sakura. Well, in the anime. But here... - evillaugh-)**, Lorryl, Sirus183, Moopstar, Jack Inqu, cDhAaStS, josie-chan... **andall the rest of the good people out there!

Meep,45 reviews! You guys are too good to me. For that, Ieach give you...a miniature Dancing Drunk Lee, completewith un-Lee-like cursing andtipsiness!

**

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**Chapter 8: Pain Beyond Pain – An Avenger's Choice

* * *

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The commas of Itachi's eyes swirled, and Sasuke stood rooted to the spot, hypnotized by them. "Tsu-"

A flash of pink, a shout of a familiar flower name, then the world stopped.

"-kuyomi."

It took a few moments more for Sasuke to realize the sacrifice made.

"_Sakura_!" he yelled as her gasp got caught in her throat. Itachi's eyes widened for a second, then narrowed.

"For all her smarts about the Mangekyou, she's quite stupid."

Sasuke's mind, numbed by the action, was sluggish, but he managed to catch Sakura as she fell to her knees. "You _bastard_!" he yelled, realizing the gravity of the situation fully. "She had nothing to do with this!"

Itachi closed his eyes, looking more exasperated and tired than ever. "Shut your blind badmouthing, little brother. That attack was meant for you. She just saved your pathetic ass."

"_Teme-_" he began to say, but Naruto grabbed him away from his brother. "Naruto, what the hell-!"

"We have to keep calm, remember?" Naruto reminded him, growling as his cerulean orbs began flashing to red. "Sakura-chan said so." He glanced at Sakura, her brow creased in unconsciousness. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," Sasuke said, panicking. "The effects are only supposed to last a second, but she isn't-"

"She isn't waking up, is she?" Itachi asked coolly. "Do you know what's going to happen to her?" Both boys glared at him, and he closed his eyes without expression. "The Mangekyou works on those with the Sharingan for only about a second, but it's different for those without the Sharingan."

He opened his eyes. "Without the Sharingan, she won't be able to take the mental torture. It will take her five minutes to escape the jutsu, and…" He savored the suspenseful silence for a moment, "…another to two minutes to die."

"You're lying!" Naruto yelled. "You just want to provoke us! That's not going to happen! It's just a dumb genjutsu-"

"He's right," Sasuke interrupted, his eyes wild. "She won't last…"

Naruto's eyes went wide, and he whispered, "So Sakura-chan's just going to… die?" Sasuke didn't answer, only staring at Itachi with intense loathing. "But Sakura-chan's stronger! She's the best in genjutsu in our team! She can't just-"

"Naruto, don't you understand!" Sasuke yelled, facing him. "It doesn't matter how great she is in genjutsu or how strong she is now, she won't be able to take the mental beating! When I was trapped in that jutsu, I was out for about a month! And I have the Sharingan! She doesn't!"

Naruto shook his head. "I just can't believe it. I – I just can't!" He clenched his fists, his veins becoming visible against the skin and red chakra forming more around his body. "Sasuke – I think I understand you now. Revenge – that's what it is, isn't it? To make someone suffer – for the suffering your loved one is dealing with."

Sasuke only grunted in reply, still glaring at Itachi. Naruto watched them stare at each other for a while, until he burst out, "_Dammit_, this isn't a staring contest! This is a battle!" Giving a battle cry, his Kyuubi chakra flared a bit, and he rushed to Itachi at breakneck speed.

The Uchiha genius was ready for him. He caught Naruto's incoming fist in his palm and made a motion bring it down to the ground. The younger one, however, twisted just enough so he could kick Itachi in the face. He only managed to graze it with the red hot chakra before Itachi caught his foot in his other hand.

He threw Naruto off him, with slightly more effort this time. Naruto flipped in air, skidding backwards as he landed. Sasuke ran to him, Sakura in his arms. "You! Why don't you follow your own advice! Don't rush to him without a plan!"

Naruto eyed him with red eyes as he lay Sakura on the black surface of the dimension. "And I suppose you have one?"

"Do you think I was only staring at him, not thinking of anything?" Sasuke asked harshly, black marks still covering his body. "We're not going to play into his hands. Listen."

Itachi was starting to feel the strain of the battle. He couldn't understand how these two brats could push him this far. _So Deidara was right, _he thought, watching the shorter of the two, the Kyuubi boy. _He's rather strong if pushed. I hadn't seen much of his skills the other time, but this time, I'm actually going to have to give this battle a little more effort._

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(1)!" Naruto yelled, and he was immediately surrounded by about a hundred clones of him, all Kyuubi-fied. Itachi rushed forward, knowing that only the bunshin were going to attack him. They enclosed him in a circle and, with lightning-quick moves, began punching and kicking him.

The use of the Mangekyou twice had weakened him considerably, and his movement was slower than before. Five by five the bunshin attacked him, throwing powerful blows. Some of them actually managed to break his defenses. Itachi tried to block each attack that came at him with kunai in hand, managing to make each clone disappear.

_The two aren't attacking me, _he thought as he fought the bunshin. He felt that change in chakra flow. It was almost subtle, considering a lot of chakra was flowing out of the two, but it was clear. There was change in the concentration of the chakra flow.

Itachi made more bunshin disappear, and he felt the murderous intent emanating from his two younger adversaries, who were rushing to him.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

He realized they were going to attack him with their trump cards. He read their movements quickly, though it was getting increasingly hard as the two were moving at a speed Sharingan couldn't follow that smoothly. _Naruto's_ _coming forward, Sasuke's going to jump, _he realized belatedly as the shadow clones occupied him so that he didn't move away.

It happened so fast that it took Itachi a few moments to realize that he had been hit by the two jutsus. He managed to deflect some of the attacks with a kunai in each hand, the knives taking most of the damage. He flipped away, clutching his side, his head bleeding slightly.

"Damn!" Naruto cursed as he and Sasuke retreated to the other side. "Why is he so stubborn?"

"Don't worry, he's weakening," Sasuke said, but they knew inside they were both starting to weaken too. Instinctively, they glanced at Sakura, wondering if they could still keep on protecting her, or if protecting her was in vain. About two minutes had already passed since she fell into the jutsu. _It all happened so fast, _Sasuke thought.

Then they noticed it. Sakura was breathing hard, her expression pained. Then she started mumbling incoherent things, the volume of her distressed voice increasing.

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto asked worriedly, rushing beside her limp form and wrapping her arms around her.

"The jutsu in its middle stages," Itachi said calmly as both boys began panicking. "Do you even wonder what she's seeing, if I'm not the one controlling the illusion?" Sasuke's eyes widened in horror.

"Shut up!" he yelled. Itachi seemed to take some delight in taunting the younger Uchiha.

"She's trapped in a cage of her own memories," he explained further. "Memories that haunt her nightmares and even her waking hours."

"I told you to shut the hell up!"

"And do you know what those memories are, little brother?" Itachi let the question hang as Sasuke paused in his yelling, dreading the answer.

"_Auuuuuuuuughh_!" Sakura screamed, clutching subconsciously onto Naruto's jacket, tears streaming down her face.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed worriedly.

"Those haunting memories…"

Sasuke stared at Itachi, and Sakura shuddered in Naruto's arms.

"…are of you, foolish little brother."

* * *

Sakura felt an invasion of her inner thoughts, and she felt her privacy breached, her mind left naked to the world. She looked around, the colors clashing, yet she could make distinct discernment – everything was red, black and white, harsh against each other. "_What's going on…?_" 

"_You're trapped,_" a deep voice replied, and she whipped around. It was Itachi. "_For the next forty-eight hours, you will be wandering in and out of your own memories – memories that have haunted you._"

"_W-what do you mean?" _she asked, immediately dreading his answer.

"_Think,_" Itachi said quietly, fading away from view. "_What memories have you been afraid of remembering?_"

She opened her mouth to reply, but the older one disappeared. Instead, the landscape changed, and she found herself staring at a battle. Her was long and she was shorter; she was twelve once more. Mist surrounded her, but she could still see silhouettes, their shadows dancing on the ground. She ran – she didn't know how fast, but it seemed so slow – and found herself staring at Sasuke's broken body, pierced by many needles.

"_No…_" she whispered, her heart pounding wildly. "_NO!_" She knelt beside him, scared to death. She tried to force chakra out of her hand to heal him, but she couldn't. She felt around for a pulse, but there was none.

She hadn't felt this powerless before – not since when she first became a genin. "_No no no – my chakra, it won't come out!_"

She felt nauseated and faint, and she wanted to fall unconscious, but even if she closed her eyes, the vision of Sasuke's death was still there. Tears leaked out from her eyes, and she screamed in pain, wrapping her arms around her, the horrible throbbing pain of losing a loved one in her chest. She screamed to let it all out.

Then the scene changed. Traces of tears still in her eyes, she looked around. She was in the Forest of Death, and she felt the bruises, cuts, and the tiredness cover her. She saw Sasuke standing, transfixed, and her eyes traveled to where he was staring.

She had the painful feeling of knowing she could've stopped it, had she been quick and strong enough. But Orochimaru's face, which had melted off slightly, revealing gray skin underneath, rushed to them, and he bared his fangs. She screamed as the Snake Sannin buried his face into Sasuke's neck and sank his fangs into it.

"_He will seek me_," Orochimaru seemed to say over and over again as she screamed to drown out his voice, more tears bursting forth from her green orbs. He seemed so menacing to her that she couldn't move in fright.

Then he disappeared. Sasuke was yelling in pain, and she rushed to his side, wishing with all her might she had something to soothe him. But all the calm had left her. She heard loud, pained shrieking, attempting to drown out Sasuke's yells, and realized a moment later the shrieking was coming from her own lips.

The Sasuke in her arms melted away, and once more she felt exhausted. She found herself surrounded by the Sound nins, smirking at her in a cruel way. Her body was bruised, and her hair was short. One of them suddenly looked startled as he spotted something behind her.

Sasuke was standing up, but an evil aura wrapped him. Purple chakra was swirling around him. "_Sakura – who did that to you?_"

Sakura wanted to say not to attack them, but the conversation went as it had been in what seemed like a past life. Nothing she hadn't said before came out of her mouth now. She was powerless in every sense of the word.

Then the attacks started. She watched in horror as Sasuke cruelly beat up the Sound nin who had hurt her. She waited for strength to come into her legs, because she knew she had to stop him. But it wouldn't come. "_Sakura! Stand up!_" she screamed at herself. Tears burst out of her eyes again, and she felt helpless.

The scene faded away, and she found herself hurtling deeper and deeper into woodland. She knew she was supposed to be looking for something – and she looked down to see Sasuke's body prone, his skin covered in black marks.

She landed beside him, trying to stay calm as she tried to look for a way to ease his pain. Her chakra wouldn't come out of her palms – like she had unlearned everything she had learnt under Tsunade.

"_We're going to run, everyone_!" Naruto yelled worriedly in the background as Sakura struggled to pump healing chakra out of her fingers. How could she be so powerless at this sort of time, when Sasuke needed her most? She panicked as her old phobia of the curse seal started kicking in.

"_Die, Uchiha Sasuke_!" a murderous voice in the background said. Her breath caught in her throat, not knowing what to do. More than the fear of the curse seal, there was the fear of being useless.

She turned to face the horrible monster rushing towards them, and she rushed in front of it with a kunai, determined not to be useless, yet she shook in barely-hidden fear.

The hand came forward, wrapped around her, and slammed her painfully against a tree, and she felt more than ever the sharp shards of wood digging into her back. Her breathing constricted as the hand squeezed the life out of her.

Then her breathing was easier, though her heart still beat in dread. She opened her eyes, and she found herself staring at Sasuke's back; the red and white fan was barely visible behind the knapsack strapped on him.

Then the desperation she felt during that time multiplied now. He couldn't go… not again! "_I love you with all my heart!_" She was desperate to keep him here; she knew it wouldn't work, but she didn't know anything else to keep him in the village. It was like she forgot how to fight.

He turned to her, sighing. "_Even after all this time… you're… still annoying_."

"_Don't go!_" she shrieked, her vision unclear because of the tears. "_If you go, I'll scream and-"_

There was that whoosh, and that sudden silence. She knew she could've stopped it, but somehow her muscles would not obey her. "_Sakura…_" he murmured. "_Thank you._"

It was as though a hundred swords ran through her body as she heard those words again. They pierced her ears; she couldn't bear the dull, cold pain that surged in her nerves. She wanted to scream, but her body didn't respond. She knew what was going to come next: that painful hit on the base of the neck.

_Thud._ It came. It wasn't painful physically, but she wanted to shriek and writhe with the hurt she was nursing. She fell, wanting to be unconscious as to not feel the stinging ache in her chest. Her eyes were not drying out yet.

But she didn't fall unconscious. Instead, she opened her eyes again and noticed she was back in her older body. She watched as an older, curse-enhanced Sasuke walked to her. She felt weary – she couldn't move a muscle. But the weariness was accompanied by fear. Sasuke brought his hand down to hear and slammed her against a tree by the neck, choking her.

He began yelling at her, but she couldn't understand. Her vision was blurring at the loss of oxygen. She was losing. She was going to die, and she didn't have the strength to fight it.

"**_So you're just going to give up, just like that, aren't you?_**" someone was screaming hysterically, and she wondered how she could understand the shrieking but not the words Sasuke was saying. She tried to open her eyes, and spotted something she didn't think possible.

She saw herself.

* * *

"Why _you_!" Sasuke yelled, running forward and abandoning all logic. He activated Chidori again, but Itachi saw it coming. Sasuke let the Chidori graze his brother's chest area before Itachi caught his wrist. The shorter of the two focused chakra to his feet and kicked Itachi on where the Chidori had struck him, forcing him to let go of his wrist. 

"_Sasuke_!" Naruto yelled, but the prodigy didn't heed him. Itachi punched him, and he flew and hit something, presumably a tree shrouded by the darkness. Still, he got up and rushed to Itachi, fist aloft.

The brothers fought fearsomely, trading blows that could be perceived as blurs by the human eye. It was certain, however, Sasuke was getting the worse of it, judging by the way he kept flying away from his brother.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled again when Sasuke skidded to a halt beside him. "We need a plan!"

"Aa," Sasuke said. "Go and stop him. I'll think of something." The red chakra-covered boy didn't need any prompting as he rushed to the young Akatsuki member.

Here, at last, was more of a challenge, as Itachi couldn't keep up with speed of Naruto's punches and kicks. One tail had appeared, and Naruto was growing more and more animalistic, growling slightly. There was a bestial hunger in Naruto's eyes as he fought with apparent ease, though his body was having a hard time coping with all the power.

"You evil bastard…" he snarled as he swiped a clawed hand at Itachi, who dodged to the left, but got caught by Naruto's foot. "I'm going to make you pay!"

Naruto, with one tail formed, didn't need any jutsu to come close to Itachi. His fists and feet, enhanced with Kyuubi chakra, were enough. His movements became faster and faster that even Itachi's superior Sharingan couldn't keep up with it for longer periods of time.

Finally, Itachi had no choice but to stop dodging and start fighting. Naruto gave him a punch, which Itachi blocked by kicking out his foot. But Naruto grabbed this foot with his other hand, hurling Itachi out of the way. He sprang after the older Uchiha, catching him with a punch to the head.

However, there was a small pop, and the Uzumaki saw it was a Kage Bunshin. Skidding on the ground, he looked around to see Itachi managing to avoid the punch. The Uchiha threw several shuriken, and Naruto deflected them easily with a wave of his hand. He didn't see Itachi jump above the shuriken, however, and paid for his inattention.

There was the Tora In(2), and it was too late for Naruto to realize it.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan(3)."

A great wall of fire came toward the Kyuubi blond, and he had no means of escape.

* * *

Neji fought Kisame vigorously, his stamina decreasing, but he knew he had to keep going. He had to rescue his cousin. She was his responsibility, and he never forsook his responsibilities. 

He was relieved, at the very least, that she figured the secret of the Samehada. Kisame, however, was a hard opponent, and to his dismay they had to fight one on one since his Mizu Bunshin kept springing up, getting to his other teammates.

_Where does he get all his chakra?_ Neji asked himself. _Could it be that he uses the chakra he sucks out from other people? _He gave a grunt, and pushed chakra into Kisame's system. The shark man pivoted on his foot and swung the Samehada to hit Neji's back.

"Too slow!" he sneered as the Samehada neared Neji's back. The captain ducked lower and swung his foot under Kisame's feet, but the Akatsuki managed to jump over it. Neji succeeded in getting out of the Samehada's way.

Elsewhere, Kiba and Akamaru worked to get rid of the Mizu Bunshin waylaying them. "Dang," he grumbled to Akamaru. "We're the farthest to Hinata. But we have to rescue her." Akamaru barked in agreement. Eating a pill each, Akamaru transformed into Kiba, and Kiba's features were a little more dog-like.

The spun in air to do the Gatsuuga, aiming for the water clone, but all it had to do was kick Akamaru out of the way to stop the attack. "Akamaru!" Kiba yelled, and getting distracted, got punched in the face. He flipped in the air, however, and his dog, still in human form, caught him on his back.

"Thanks Akamaru," he muttered, and dog and master crouched down to spring into another attack.

Shino, in the meantime, was having a hard time with the bunshin he was foisted with. Directing his bugs, he went for an all-out attack on the bunshin. However, each time he sent a swarm of Kikai, the water copy only had to swing his arm to render all his attacks useless.

Jumping over the incoming sword, Shino hit upon a plan. He ran to the bunshin and aimed a direct hit on it with his punch. The bunshin dodged it, but Shino managed to graze its collar. The clone swung its arm, and hit Shino, who was sent hurtling into a tree. But the hooded boy managed a very small smile, having accomplished his task.

He engaged the bunshin once more, only dealing it cautious attacks. Soon, he realized his plan had worked, as the bunshin's power was getting lesser. He only hoped Neji was keeping Kisame busy enough not to let him create more Mizu Bunshin.

Meanwhile, Tenten's weapons littered her place in the battle ground. So far, her weapons, ranging from senbon to halberds, had all been proven useless. As she dodged the bunshin's punch, she thought to her inventory of weapons.

_Let's see, _the weapons mistress thought as she threw kunai to deflect another incoming kick. She pivoted on her foot to hit the clone with her morning star. _Ah, I haven't used my scroll of bombs yet! _As she discarded her morning star quickly and used a tonfa in her right hand to block a kick, she opened a scroll quickly, bit her thumb to allow blood to flow, and summoned a bomb of cold air. Using her hand as leverage, she flipped away quickly, sticking the small bomb onto the Mizu Bunshin with senbon.

There was a small explosion, and when the cold air cleared, Tenten grinned. In the place of the Mizu Bunshin was a block of ice shaped like the shark man himself. "I win," she murmured triumphantly.

She turned around to see where she could help, and saw that Kiba and Akamaru had defeated their Mizu Bunshin. Shino's had the Kikai surround the clone, eating the chakra imbedded into it. "Wow, how'd you guys manage it?" Tenten asked.

"Just two powerful Gatsuuga attacks," Kiba replied, winking tiredly. "It took up a lot of chakra though…"

"I put a female bug on the clone," Shino said. "The males were lured out one by one and formed around the clone slowly that it didn't even detect them until it was too late." They all turned to the other battles, trying to find one in which they could help.

Lee traded blow per blow with the Mizu Bunshin, moving at incredible speed, having taken his weights off. He managed to get in some good punches, but it threw him by the foot towards a tree. Lee landed on the tree and leapt down. He ran towards the bunshin, kicked its chin to send it flying upwards. He leapt up, cried, "Konoha Senpuu!" and kicked the Mizu Bunshin back into water.

He landed and wiped his brow. He grinned. "Gai-sensei will be so proud of me!" he cried, dramatic tears streaming down his eyes. "I've defeated an enemy he couldn't do much against!"

"That was the guy's Mizu Bunshin, Lee," Tenten sighed exasperatedly.

"Speaking of which," Lee said, taking a glance at Neji, who was getting more and more beat up, "I have to help Neji with the real one. Coming, Tenten?" The bun-haired girl shook her head.

"Kiba and Akamaru need tending to, I think," she replied. "I'm going to see to their injuries."

Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji ganged up on one bunshin. Shikamaru had it on Shadow Bind, while Chouji was preparing to steamroller it with Nikudan Sensha(4). Ino, however, was rather useless since the bunshin did not have a mind of its own.

"Yo, Ino," Shikamaru called in between concentrating on the bunshin. "We'll cover you, and you use your Shinranshin no Jutsu(5) to get Kisame off Neji's hair."

"Sure, Shikamaru," Ino said, moving to the left to avoid the bunshin's punch. "But first I have to get out of here!"

Meanwhile, Lee had joined Neji in the fight against Kisame. "You…" Kisame growled. "You're that Wild Beast's student. You look just as stupid as he does."

Lee glared at him. "What was that?"

Kisame smirked. "You have the same ugly haircut, the same weird eyebrows… and the same taijutsu. Yes. You're very stupid looking."

"Why you!" Lee yelled, and rushed to the shark man with lightning quick taijutsu.

"Lee, stop!" Neji yelled, but it was to no avail. Lee could not take the insult that the shark man gave to his great teacher. Using a very quick succession of kicks and punches, Lee fought to bring down the swordsman Akatsuki.

But if the Mizu Bunshin were one-tenths as powerful as the original, it was certain the taijutsu expert could not bring this down easily. Kisame parried each attack of his with swings of his sword. Neji decided to help his teammate.

Running to Kisame's other side, opposite Lee, Neji readied himself to attack. Kisame swung his sword towards Neji, but the Hyuuga ducked and swiftly pushed chakra into his leg. As Kisame paused as he felt the pain, Lee delivered a kicking spin onto Kisame's head.

The swordsman fell. Neji rolled away to avoid being fallen over by the body. Lee helped him up, and they readied themselves to deliver another series of attacks on the gray-skinned man.

Meanwhile, Hinata kept herself alive and breathing with the use of chakra. She used her chakra to create air bubbles in the Suiro. But she knew she couldn't keep it up for long, since she would be depleted of chakra before her teammates managed to help her out.

_I can't rely on my teammates all the time, _she thought in determination. She closed her eyes and calmed herself down. _Now, what should I do…_

She contemplated on all possibilities. _I still can't do Neji-niisan's Kaiten, but…_

She opened her eyes. _This will take a lot of chakra, but at least I can get out of this prison. _She activated her Byakuugan, and focused her chakra to be released in a straight line out of her hands.

_Shugohakke: Rokujuu Yonshou!_(6)

Using her natural flexibility, she whipped her hands around so quickly they became blurs. The string of chakra effectively sliced and diverted the water imbedded by chakra, and slowly, she released herself from the prison.

Meanwhile, Neji noticed that his cousin had somehow almost freed herself from the Suiro. _She's taking up a lot of her chakra. She won't have any left to fight that Mizu Bunshin. _"Lee," Neji said. "I'll leave him to you."

"Roger," Lee nodded. He turned to Kisame, and the battle between them raged on again.

Neji rushed to the heiress, who was giving the bunshin a hard time keeping her in the water bubble. Finally, with a few more slices against the walls of the watery cage, she destroyed it. She collapsed on the ground, her hair and clothes waterlogged. She was panting heavily at the loss of air.

Immediately, Neji rushed in front of her, and with all his might, pushed chakra into the bunshin, disintegrating it into harmless water. "Are you all right, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata nodded and took the hand Neji offered her. "Yes, Neji-niisan. Thanks."

But Lee was already having problems with battling Kisame. More than once, he had been caught by the Samehada, and he had sustained numerous wounds. _If only I can get that sword away from him! _Lee thought.

His prayers were answered when Ino's voice crackled into the transmitter. "Lee-san, just bring him close to that beech tree on your left. I'll use my Shinranshin on him."

Lee nodded, and kicked the shark man towards where Ino was. Before Kisame could realize it, the flower blonde had him in her line of view. "Ninpou: Shinranshin no Jutsu!" she cried.

Her mind connected with Kisame's, and she controlled him like a puppet. She knew Kisame was aware of what she was doing. The shark man was fighting her mind control, but she had enough chakra to at least make him throw away his own sword into the wilderness.

She immediately let go of the mind control, and before Kisame could react, Lee sent in a flurry of kicks and punches towards him and made him collapse.

Lee jumped towards his teammates to regroup as Kisame stood up. "Are you all right, everyone?" he asked.

Kiba rotated his shoulder, aching to finish the fight. "Yeah," he replied. "My chakra's almost gone, though."

"Let's maximize the chakra we have left, then," Neji said. "We'll have to finish this as quickly as possible."

"But what about Sakura and the boys?" Ino asked worriedly.

"We'll worry about that later," Shikamaru answered. "Right now, we have to concentrate on that shark guy."

Meantime, the shark Akatsuki regarded the situation. _Because of making so much Mizu Bunshin, my chakra has depleted significantly, _he thought. _If I use anymore of my chakra just for that, I might not be able to stop these brats. And they've made me lose Samehada, and they won't let me near it. Looks like I'll have to fight the old-fashioned way._

He formed his seals, and the team scattered in case it was a big one. "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu(7)."

They all felt the rumbling underneath their feet, and suddenly, a huge tsunami came upon them, threatening to submerge them all.

* * *

The great wall of fire engulfed Naruto, making him shriek in the painful heat. The jutsu, which had lifted him off the ground slightly, dissipated, and he fell on the floor. 

Itachi surveyed him, and he was unmoving, but not dead. _Is he unconscious?_

Naruto stood up quickly, smirking. "I can take much more, you asshole."

Itachi blinked. Even the most powerful Katon (8) couldn't take the Kyuubified brat down. The chakra healed his most serious injuries and protected him from harm.

_But his body is getting stressed, _the ninja genius thought. _His body can't hold in that much power, and he will start losing control of it. If his body gets stressed, and he dies, the Kyuubi will come out and we can capture it to harness its power._

If his face muscles were capable of smirking, he would've. _And Karyuu Endan isn't the most powerful Katon, after all. There's one more that's more powerful. But it will take an immense amount of chakra. Nevertheless, if it means I can end this battle, then so be it._

He formed seals, and immediately, in his hand floated black flames. "Amaterasu," he said simply.

He started throwing these flames towards Naruto, and the blond, getting the Kyuubi's skills, dodged each flame easily. Itachi aimed for his feet. He jumped away on all fours, and appeared over Itachi's head. He swiped his claw against Itachi's, but the missing nin evaded it, though barely. He threw another ball of black fire, and it caught Naruto's one tail.

It reacted like normal fire would to a normal tail. The red chakra fluctuated, and it threw off the fire. Naruto jumped towards Itachi again, determined to do damage.

* * *

"**_SHANNARO!_** **_Is that the best you can do?_**" 

Sakura struggled to open her eyes, and through her blurry vision, beyond the Sasuke of that memory, she saw what she never thought was possible.

There was the same pink hair, same clothes, even the same scratch marks. But the eyes were different. Instead of wide, soft green ones, they were wild, harsh, and scary. And across the wide breadth of the forehead, words were stamped.

"**_YOU!_** **_You pathetic weakling! Get out of that grasp and push it out of MY domain!_**" the girl was screaming and ranting. "**_This ain't HIS turf, it's mine! SHANNAROOOOO!"_**

She began pulling the Sasuke of her mind away from Sakura with a strength she couldn't imagine was possible. It was probably what they called _strength of mind._

Inner Sakura had come to the rescue.

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Sakura:** Itachi has finally decided to take Sasuke-kun and Naruto more seriously than ever. I think they're definitely going to win this time around. But are they really going to use their strengths together? I just hope so, since… oh, no, it's curse seal level 2 again! And Kyuubi level 2 as well! They might lose control of themselves!

The rest of the team is still busy taking Kisame down. I hope they do better this time… Fight on, Team Neji!

I wish I could be out there too. But I'm too busy getting out of this harsh genjutsu. Thanks to my inner self, I might actually survive this thing.

Next chapter: _Akatsuki_ _Defeat? Tsukuyomi Breaks_.

Ooh, can't wait to kick some genjutsu ass!

* * *

**AN: **(1) Multiple Shadow Clone Technique 

(2) Tiger Seal

(3) Fire Skill: Fire Dragon Napalm

(4) Meat Tank

(5) Mind Confusion Technique

(6) Guardian of Eight Divination Seals: Sixty-four Strikes

(7) Water Skill: Grand Waterfall Technique

(8) Fire Technique


	9. Akatsuki Defeat? Tsukuyomi Breaks

**AN: **Chapter 9 is here! By the way, any jutsu I make up, the translation is very literal. I'm not good at Japanese and I'm only using a Jap-Eng dictionary for reference.

**As usual, my thankies go out to: PrincessChii, edakumi-sama, Celestartial Blossoms, josie-chan, Sexy.Black.Neko, Jays Arravan, Dragon Man 180, Apple-Mei-Mei, UchihaSakura87 **(Itachi-sama IS immortal - he justs lets Sasuke-kun pwn him so fangirls can mob the brat and not him... hehe)**, Only Secret **(damn, everyone just ships Inner Sakura)**, Suki dah Turdle, Aya Frost **(ah, well, that's how Itachi-sama looks at everyone)**, Hinata-hime **(they ARE on one team now, aren't they? So it's only proper. More of that in this chap)**, Ize19 **(thanks for pointing that out. Your review kind of gave me a certain standard with Naruto's characterization during battle. I just hope he seems more powerful in this chap. Although I must say, I still remember him hitting Sakura accidentally during level 3)**, susakuru, sweetmaiden, YoungSasuke, sillymail, animemistress419, warprince2000, Dust-in, suggie-chan **(It's Tsukuyomi, hun. Says so in Wikipedia and Jap lit. Y'know how those Jap peeps like confusing us. They usually change the last letter of a first word in a conjunction of two words)**, Great Saiyaman **(NaruHina? What NaruHina? ((goes of to read)) Oh, THAT NaruHina. Yes, I love them. One of my OTPs)**, Oukaru Hanako **(ooh, HI! Thanks for the review, and well, sorry for not doing editing your story yet - still making my English project, since finals are on Tuesday... But I'm getting to work this Saturday)**, Mimiru-Sama, ephermeral dewdrops, feigning **(((blushes)) oh stop. I still have a long way to go before I can be better than anyone)**, Ennariel, Pink-Kunoichi-16, shamanic-cherry, Yami Umi, Magical Mystic Path Ways... **and all those who took time to read! I was just saying to my sister, "Oh, I love these people," and man do I mean that.

33 reviews... a little fewer than before, but still passable. Hey, if I get a minimum of 30 every chapter, by the end of part 1 I'm going to have 1000 or more!

To those who reviewed... you receive a Kidoumaru clock, with a hand for the day, hour, minute, second, microsecond, and nanosecond! A great novelty item!

* * *

**Chapter 9: Akatsuki Defeat? Tsukuyomi Breaks

* * *

**

Naruto skillfully dodged the hot black flames the Amaterasu was made of. His fox-like movements allowed him to become agile, allowing him to skid and land across the black landscape.

Itachi was slowing down. His movements had become sluggish compared to when they had only begun the fight. And now that they had more of a chance, Sasuke knew it was time to join Naruto in the attack. Their combined force was sure to bring Itachi down this time.

The Uchiha rookie glanced at Sakura, who was still moaning slightly, her teeth gritted together in obvious pain. "Don't worry, Sakura," he muttered. "I'll avenge you somehow."

She was dying, and he couldn't do anything about it. She was dying such a violent death that he could hardly look at her, because it pained him too. He didn't know why it affected him so much, but it did. Maybe it was because they had been friends before. Maybe it was because it was Itachi who was the cause of her suffering. Maybe it was because she was the one who always vouched for him, along with Naruto.

He didn't know a lot of things, but one thing was certain: Itachi had sinned again and he would pay twice as much now.

"Gnnnh…" Sakura groaned, sweat and tears trickling down her chin. It was already about four minutes into the jutsu, and she was so pitiful now. Sasuke gripped her hand hard, as though it would somehow ease her pain.

He wanted to be there during her last moments. But he couldn't let Naruto be the only one to avenge her either. "I'll be back," he whispered, squeezing her hand again, but he knew she couldn't hear him. She was still lost in the world of black nightmares.

He put her out of his mind for a while. If he was to fight one of the most dangerous men in the world, he had to do it without any distractions. It was like Sakura said: he couldn't let anger blind him.

He stood up and molded his chakra. The black marks on his skin swirled and fused together to darken his skin. His hair color became lighter and its length grew longer. His Sharingan were set against a dark background, and there was a blue star on his nose. Behind him were brown wings.

He smirked. He was sure to kill Itachi this time.

He rushed into battle, and Naruto landed beside him. "Heh, you've gotten uglier, teme," Naruto said, his voice more of a beast's than a human's. A second tail swished from behind him.

"And you're looking fluffy, freaking idiot," Sasuke replied smoothly through his fangs. "Look, you attack his back, and I'll go up front. Got it?"

"Why do _you_ get to fight him up front?" Naruto complained.

"Because he's my brother," Sasuke answered, and Naruto glared at him. He smirked. "Let's go."

And the two monster-like beings rushed towards the weasel of the Uchihas, resolving to form impeccable teamwork. If they were to avenge their precious teammate, they had to become a duo once more.

* * *

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu." 

The great big wall of water rushed towards them, attempting to drown them all. Thinking quickly, Hinata molded her chakra in a straight line again, and Tenten summoned three more ice bombs.

"Shugohakke Rokujuu Yonshou!" Hinata yelled, creating a big net of chakra to catch the water. Shikamaru, Kiba, and Lee, who had jumped behind her, dropped their jaws in awe as Hinata prevented the water from submerging them.

Tenten threw her three ice bombs to her left, directly in front, and to her right. She froze about a meter thick and 3 meters wide of the water, and directed the flow to the sides. "I did it!" she yelled.

But the ice dam began to crack at the pressure of the water behind it. "Look out!" Neji yelled, grabbing Tenten, who was nearest to the ice dam, out of the way and up a tree.

Hinata couldn't hold the water much longer either, only diverting the flow on either side of her. "Go on without me, you guys!" she called. "I can handle this!"

"No!" Kiba yelled. "We're not leaving without you!"

Hinata knew she had no choice. She molded her chakra thick enough to part the water in the middle. Swiping her arms out, she parted the water, effectively diverting it to her left and right. Finally, only a little water flowed, only soaking their ankles. The Hyuuga girl collapsed, and Kiba and Shino caught her.

"Don't strain yourself anymore, Hinata," Shino advised.

"But-" Hinata protested weakly, but Neji managed to come nearer.

"Hinata-sama," he said with a small smile, "Hiashi-sama is going to kill me if he finds out I haven't been taking care of the heiress of our clan." Hinata laughed a little.

"I have to help in this mission, Neji-niisan," she said. She looked at the black obstruction at the far end of the battlefield. "Naruto-kun… what would he think if I…" Her soft voice trailed off.

"He would think you'd already done enough," Kiba said firmly. "Trust me."

"I don't want to be a burden…"

"As long as you don't fall unconscious, you won't be," Neji said. "Leave it to us."

Shino directed his bugs to protect Hinata, and Kiba said, "You take care of her, Akamaru." Akamaru barked in agreement and sat in front of the girl. She smiled.

They regrouped as Kisame rushed to them. "We can't hold back anymore," Neji said. "We're going to give it our all this time."

"We've been giving it our all since the beginning," Ino replied wearily.

"And that goes to show how powerful our enemy is," Shikamaru observed. "Although it's troublesome, we're not only going to give it our all, but we'll go the extra mile."

"Well said!" Lee exclaimed. "That would surely validate our youth!" Everyone rolled their eyes.

"Ino, mind control him just enough to let him get caught in my shadow so I can freeze him," Shikamaru directed quickly. "Chouji, use your Baika no Jutsu(1) to hold him down if I can't manage it. Neji, Lee, attack up front, and Tenten will cover your every miscarry with long range attacks. Kiba, Shino, if Neji and Lee fall, go in as reinforcement. I suggest you alternate so we won't get too tired."

"Good plan," Neji said as Kisame halted in front of them.

"So, brats, ready to play again?" he asked mockingly. Neji looked around discreetly at his team. They all looked determined to create some action.

"Let's go!" he yelled, and everyone scattered to their designated places.

* * *

Sakura watched as the other her, the Inner Sakura, pried Sasuke off her. "**_You don't belong here!_**" she was yelling. "**_I don't care if you're our memory, memories aren't supposed to attack their owners!_**" 

_So that's what's inside me, _Sakura thought in awe. _Is that where I get my fighting spirit?_

"**_Girl, I _am _you're fighting spirit!_**" Inner Sakura yelled, seeming elated. She lifted Sasuke up, and threw him effortlessly into oblivion. "**_And stay there!_**" she snarled. "**_Shannaro!_**"

Sakura realized that this genjutsu was working only on her, the "real" Sakura. The other her was unaffected by it, like she had been in Ino's jutsu, since she was another being, and who seemed to embody raw emotion. She wasn't whole; the other her couldn't feel anything but raw anger or triumph. And that was her strength as well as her weakness.

The harsh background of the memory crumbled, and Inner Sakura grabbed Sakura as they fell into blackness. Sakura screamed, not knowing what was going on.

They landed on concrete, and Sakura looked around again. "_The Great Naruto Bridge…?_"

"**_We're going to confront these memories one by freakin' one! He's using your fear of these memories to get to you, so you have to stop fearing them!_**" Inner Sakura yelled. "**_Where's the weakest point of this damn memory?_**"

Sakura looked around. There was the mist again, and the feeling of lingering death. "_There…_" she pointed timidly, looking and feeling like her weak twelve year-old self again. They walked (well, at least, it felt like walking; it was hard to tell in a state like such) towards the mist by instinct.

And then they were confronted again by Sasuke's unmoving, pierced body. Sakura clutched her heart. "_No!_" she cried, falling to her knees. "_Not again! Please, let's go! I don't want to see this anymore!_"

"**_Are we going to move on, or are we going to run away from this problem?_**" Inner Sakura snarled. "**_Let's go!_**"

But Sakura couldn't; the pain was too great. She crawled towards Sasuke's body, wrapping her arms around it and sobbing hysterically. "_Sasuke-kun!_" she cried.

Inner Sakura scratched her head and shrieked in extreme frustration. "**_Shannaro! This isn't how it's supposed to work! How are you going to beat the memory without confronting it? You're living the past! Think of what happens next!_**"

Sakura thought hard through her anguish, and to her great shock, she heard a voice underneath her. "_Sa…kura…_" Sasuke mumbled. "_You're… heavy…_"

"_Sasuke-kun!_" she cried, and she hugged him as he complained her hugging was hurting him. Inner Sakura smirked.

"**_One down, a few more to go,_**" she said. She punched the ground, and the memory broke into pieces. Sakura found that the Sasuke in her arms dissipated, and a new memory began building up.

She found herself in the Forest of Death, rooted to her spot. "_I… can't move…!_"

Orochimaru's face zoomed towards them as his neck elongated and his fangs gleamed. She screamed as he buried his fangs into Sasuke's neck. "_He will seek me…_" Orochimaru said, and Sakura wanted to cover her ears in fright.

But Sasuke had collapsed. She caught him, and he started shrieking. "_What should I do?_" Sakura cried to her inner self. "_What can I do? I've… I've unlearned everything I know of being a medic nin! What can I do?_"

"**_Use your head, brainiac!_**" Inner Sakura shrieked. "**_Think! What happens next?_**"

Sakura struggled to remember, and the scene faded away, to be replaced by the leering faces of the Sound nins. One of them had her by the hair. "_I can't do anything…"_ Sakura realized. "_There's nothing good about this memory…_" She began to sob. "_Nothing good at all…_"

"**_Think even further!_**" Inner Sakura urged.

Sakura remembered at the inner being's insistence. She grabbed a kunai from her pouch, and in one clean stroke, cut through her hair to break free. "**_This was the part where you grew up! Tell me you don't like that part!_**" Inner Sakura pumped her fist up.

The recollection fast forwarded, and Sakura's hair prickled. Even Inner Sakura grimaced as they felt the evil aura cover the whole place. "_Sasuke… kun?_" she whimpered.

"_Sakura… who hurt you?_" Sasuke said, his skin covered with dark seals and his eyes glowing red.

The conversation went as it had been, and Sakura asked to her inner self, her voice quivering, "_What now?_"

"**_Just let it flow! Remember, the only reason why people let affect bad memories affect them is because they don't think of they happy things that happen!_**"

Sasuke had turned to the Sound nins, cruelly beating up the Sound nin who she had fought. "_I'm… I'm so scared!_" Sakura cried out. "_I can't do anything anymore!_"

"**_Stop giving up so soon, idiot! Remember what happens next! Don't let the memory torture you over and over again without getting to the good part!_**"

Sakura concentrated, and when Sasuke moved to beat up the other Sound nin, resolve flowed in her mind and legs, forcing her to run and wrap her arms around him. "_Sasuke-kun… please… stop…_" she whispered.

"**_See? You were able to do something! If you only see what will happen next, you'd be able to confront these memories no problem!_**" Inner Sakura pumped her fist up again. "**_Yeah! Love wins!_**"

The view faded once more, to be replaced by another. She hurtled in the trees, forgetting why she was doing this. Then she found Sasuke crouched in pain on a large branch, and she stumbled her way to him, worried sick. He was covered in the familiar black marks, and she shuddered. "_I – I can't face this anymore. Please, let's stop!_"

"**_You'll never get out of here unless you confront each and every one of them, you weakling!_**" Inner Sakura cried to her, thrusting her fist up and down. "**_There's Gaara! You know what to do!_**"

She did. Sakura rushed in front of Sasuke, holding out her kunai. "_Get out of the way!_" Gaara yelled, but she stood her ground and got slammed into a tree for her efforts.

"**_It's painful physically, but you saved Sasuke-kun! That should be enough to turn this memory into something good!_**" Inner Sakura began another series of victory dances.

The forest warped into a memorable street, one at the outskirts of Konoha. Sasuke was standing a few meters away from her, his backpack covering the clan symbol on his back. Sakura covered her mouth, realizing this was one memory she would have trouble dealing with. "_Oh, please… not this one! Anything but this one!_" More tears trickled out of her eyes as she shook in hurt. "_I – there's nothing good about this memory! I can't do it anymore! Please, let's stop! I can't-_"

Even Inner Sakura had nothing to say about this scene. Her energy faded, and the more it shrank…

…the more Sakura was thrown into despair.

* * *

Itachi whirled around, his coat whipping with him. Sasuke attacked him from the front, dealing him kicks that made him pivot around in the impact. Naruto, still struggling to keep the Kyuubi in, swiped at the older Uchiha, giving him a deep cut on his arm. 

Itachi staggered backward, but as Sasuke came forward to attack again, he ducked, and Sasuke, still in momentum, crashed into Naruto. They got up quickly and ran to Itachi again.

Itachi formed the seals and said, "Katon: Tajuu Daihousenka no Jutsu(2)." He inhaled and blew many great fireballs at them. Sasuke and Naruto dodged, but they each got singed somehow. Sasuke's Sharingan swirled, copying the technique, and put out his flaming sleeve. Naruto only made his chakra fluctuate a bit to shake the flame off.

_I don't believe this… _Itachi thought, impressed but still impassive. _They're pushing me to my very limit. _He ran swiftly to them, again evoking Amaterasu. Both boys rolled, ducked and jumped to get out of the black fire's way. It caught Naruto's tail once or twice, but it affected him like a normal burn would affect a normal human.

Sasuke knew he had to be careful in dodging the Amaterasu; it could burn into anything, and any damage from it could be devastating. He didn't have Naruto's sort of protection, so he had to be careful. He retracted his brown wings and rushed to his brother again. "Katon: Tajuu Daihousenka no Jutsu!"

Itachi made a flurry of seals. "Fuuton: Bofuryu(3)," he called, and he exhaled a large amount of air, swirling into space and blowing out the fire. _Remarkable. He has used the Sharingan to its full potential. He can copy and use techniques almost instantly. Little brother, perhaps you're closer – much closer than before._

Because he was occupied with this thought, he noticed too late the multiple shuriken hidden in the flames, not blown away by the wind. He only dodged some barely; some hit him square on his body, piercing some of the skin.

As if this weren't enough, a frenzied Naruto came speeding to him, his fist drawn to a punch. Itachi leaned to the left to dodge, but Sasuke kicked him there hard enough to send him flying. He managed to gather himself and skidded to a halt a few meters in front of them.

But the boys didn't stop. For the next few moments, the blows between the older Uchiha, and the younger Uchiha with the Kyuubi boy, were terrible and earthshaking. Sasuke dealt a blow, Itachi countered it, and Naruto countered _that_ counterattack. Itachi was losing; he couldn't handle both level 2 curse seal and level 2 Kyuubi at the same time.

As the battle wore on, Itachi saw a subtle difference in the two boys' fighting style. They had become more animalistic, more brutal; each of their punches and kicks were less thought out and more instinctual. Itachi nodded at this. _The faster they lose themselves, the faster their bodies will deteriorate since they can't hold in that much power. If this goes on, we might be able to extract the bijuu faster._

Sasuke clawed Itachi, growling bestially. The scratch on his skin drew blood, but Itachi took hold of his wrist and said, "Katon: Horyu Tsume(4)." Instantly, fire surged in his hand, burning Sasuke's wrist. He yelled and kicked Itachi, clutching his burnt wrist. Itachi halted a few meters away from him and proceeded to make some seals, but Naruto had rushed in front of him and began punching and scratching him with a ferocity of a demon.

Right then, it was obvious who was getting the worst of it; the older Uchiha prodigy sustained numerous injuries after such a long time of not being injured like such, and he was at a loss of chakra. However, he did not feel too bothered by this.

_There's such thing as too much power, after all, _he said to himself, his keen eyes seeing what was happening to both boys. Their bodies were shuddering a little, and they looked hard put in controlling their power. _Their bodies can't control all that power, and will begin to deteriorate as the amount of power increases._

Sasuke prepared to jump towards his brother again, but suddenly, something pulsed painfully in his chest. He clutched at it. "Argh!" he yelped, falling to his knees. The power was overwhelming, and it was hard to contain, like he would explode if he didn't release some of it at once. But he was too angry to control it and to make it dissipate.

Naruto was experiencing the same problems. Pausing in his rampage, he grit his teeth to try control the third tail from coming out. He knew that once the next tail came out, there would be no stopping him. But the pain and anger of loss was as overpowering as the Kyuubi's chakra. Little by little, he succumbed to it, and his body became so stressed in trying to contain the power.

Itachi watched them and decided to make them draw more power to further speed up their body's wear and tear. "Isn't it a pity though," he said, his quiet voice echoing around oblivion, and both boys raised their heads from their agony. "That your teammate would die under these circumstances, wherein her own friends couldn't even help her. She was quite knowledgeable and skillful in healing too. Admirable traits."

"You – shut – _up_ about her!" Sasuke roared. "It's your fault! I'm going to kill you!" Anger beat in his worn body, and it forced him to bring out more power. "_AAARRRGGHHH_!"

He keeled over, unable to take the chakra flowing in him. Naruto growled as well, trying to hold onto the threshold of consciousness of being a human rather than a demon. The air fluctuated and crackled around his body as he tried to contain his chakra. His anger was too great. But he had to pull himself together.

"You… I'll kill you!" Naruto yelled, pouncing to him on all fours in great speed. Itachi only had to blink to find Naruto in front of him, already halfway into punching him. The blow landed, and the red-eyed Uchiha flew from his line of sight. He decided on more provocation.

"She was the one who was always trying to bring you two closer, am I right?" he asked quietly. "Shame you two are just very bad teammates."

Sauske opened his mouth to answer, but something painful pulsed in his veins again. He screamed, and Naruto fell to his knees as he failed to keep in the Kyuubi's chakra. The chakra built up in him, giving him a burning sensation in his skin, and Sasuke clutched at his curse seal by reflex as energy heightened in him.

Sasuke screamed, unable to take it anymore, and Itachi saw the loss of reason in his eyes. A third tail began emerging faster than ever on the Kyuubi's chakra surrounding Naruto's body. They were about to lose control-

"**_STOOOOOOP!_**"

Sasuke stopped screaming, and Naruto struggled once more to hold onto human consciousness. Three sets of red eyes widened.

Sakura had sat up, and her eyes were panicked, her hair messy, and her face sweaty. "Both of you…" she breathed, taking large gulps of air. "Stop it…"

She started to stand up, but as soon as she was on her feet, she stumbled. Before she could fall, Sasuke and Naruto were right by her side, helping her up.

Itachi stared. It was amazing how this girl had not only managed to let Sasuke control his curse seal, and let Naruto come closer to being more human, but this girl – this little _girl_, with no seemly special abilities – had broken out of the ultimate genjutsu.

Sakura had beaten the Tsukuyomi.

* * *

Now Neji had a goal as he and Lee attacked Kisame with all their efforts. He had to get close enough to close all Kisame's tenketsu. But the Akatsuki was fighting with such exertion that they were being driven back. _Even with his loss of his sword, we're only evenly matched_, Neji realized. 

Lee moved to the left to avoid Kisame's kick, and Kisame tried to follow through by kicking out his right. This left his left side open, and Neji ducked in to push chakra into it. However, Kisame followed through by reaching to grab Neji's collar. "Too slow!" he sneered as Neji tried to dodge his hand.

A morning star came flying unexpectedly into battle, knocking away Kisame's hand. Neji's Byakuugan caught Tenten just pulling away the weapon, and he smiled a little.

The taijutsu battle went on, but Ino was still hard put in trying to get her aim right. "He's moving too much, Shika," she said, concentrating hard.

"Go on," Shikamaru said soothingly. "Just concentrate."

Lee and Neji came at Kisame from both sides, and the shark man spun around on his foot, releasing water at all sides, knocking Lee and Neji away. Seeing this, Kiba evoked Shikakyu no Jutsu(5) and Shino directed his bugs to cover Kisame from the back.

The Inuzuka, now with longer claw-like fingernails and fang-like teeth, jumped into battle, slashing with his clawed hand. Kisame dodged and grabbed Kiba's hand, but Shino managed a punch to the Akatsuki's side. While Kisame was still stunned by the punch, Kiba twisted and managed a scratch on Kisame's stomach, which started to bleed freely. Both Kurenai's students leapt away, and Lee and Neji went into battle again after recovering.

Kiba looked at his fingers, stained with blood. His nails had broken, and the blood on his fingers wasn't just Kisame's. "That guy has some thick skin," he muttered.

As Kisame battled Lee and Neji, both having the upper hand now that he was more injured. _If only I can get Samehada back, _he thought.

Neji, palm ready, ran to him, but he dodged to the right yet again. Quickly, he formed a seal. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

A copy of him materialized, and before anyone could react, Kisame attacked Neji and Lee again, letting the bunshin get a good way through. Tenten tried throwing a flurry of kunai at it, but it was too fast. It jumped, ducked, and dodged through her attacks, running to the opposite direction.

"He's going to try get his sword back!" Shikamaru yelled from the other side as Kiba and Shino tried to give chase.

But Kisame had already formed a second group of seals, and yelled, "Suiryu no Jutsu(6)!" A large dragon-like spout of water diverted them, and the bunshin made a hasty way into the forest.

Shikamaru watched its progress, knowing they would have lost if the bunshin ever got close to the sword. But suddenly, there was a surge of chakra, and the Mizu Bunshin burst into harmless water once more.

Hinata was there, Byakuugan activated, Akamaru carrying her on his back. She had sent that surge of chakra into the bunshin. "Hinata-chan!" Ino yelled worriedly. "You shouldn't be here!"

But Hinata leapt off Akamaru, who joined his master. Hinata went beside Ino. "Look at this," she said softly, waving a small bottle of pills. Ino's eyes widened, and she began smiling.

"The Godaime's soldier pills!" she cried, taking one and popping it in. Her tiredness slowly went away.

"I'd forgotten she gave them to me, and that they were in my pouch," Hinata explained. "Akamaru and I took one each before going here." She passed them to Shikamaru and Chouji, who each took one as well. Then, she went to give one each to the other members of the group.

"Well," Shikamaru said, "this should lessen the odds." He turned to Chouji. "Make your hand bigger. See if you can hold him down enough for Ino to control his mind."

"Ossu!" Chouji said, saluting. He molded his chakra and went, "Baika no Jutsu!" Instantly, his hand became bigger, and he reached over for Kisame, covering his upper body.

"What the!" Kisame exclaimed. He struggled hard. After a few moments Chouji became a little tired in holding him down.

"Ino!" he yelled. "NOW!"

"YEAH!" Ino cried. "Ninpou: Shinranshin no Jutsu!" Her mind connected with Kisame's, and she let him step into Shikamaru's shadow.

"Kage Mane no Jutsu," Shikamaru said simply. Within moments, Ino released her jutsu, exhausted. Kisame tried to resist the binding, but the loss of his chakra and the addition of Shika's own proved advantageous for the chuunin.

Neji smirked. "You're within my Hakke," he told Kisame, still frozen by the technique. He molded his chakra just enough, and his palms came flying forward. "2! 4! 8! 16! 32! 64!

"Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!"

* * *

There were only a few times Itachi had been really quite surprised in his life. Oddly, this wasn't one of the times. 

He wasn't really quite surprised. He was extremely, absolutely stunned.

"You're supposed to be dead," he said tonelessly, but his red eyes betrayed his shock. "It's been more than six minutes since I trapped you in the Tsukuyomi."

Sakura smirked, albeit tiredly. "Looks like I beat the infamous genjutsu."

Itachi's eyes narrowed as Sasuke and Naruto supported a weak and unstable Sakura. "How…?" he asked.

Sakura noticed the fluctuation in the dark dimension. The trees were showing a little green again. Itachi's concentration was diminishing because of his surprise at her achievement. She had to keep him distracted. "When I was trapped in your genjutsu, I wandered in and out of the worst memories of my life, not knowing how to beat them. But…" She shook her head. "Guess what? You may have invaded my mind, but there was a part of it you didn't touch."

"That wouldn't happen," Itachi said, "unless you had two minds." Sakura smirked wider, and Itachi's frown became more pronounced. "Wait. Is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly, Itachi-san," Sakura murmured. "My other self helped me out of the jutsu. She made me remember every good thing that happened after a horrible memory, and I managed to beat it. The one inside me… she drove the jutsu away."

Itachi looked more astonished than ever, and he shook his head. "I never imagined… something so odd would beat the ultimate genjutsu. You're as interesting as you look… Sakura-san, isn't it?"

Sakura laughed humorlessly, and her eyelids closed over her tired green eyes. She slumped against Naruto. "Sakura-chan!" he cried, now almost entirely back to his old self.

Then the Susanoo dissipated completely. Before Sasuke could react, the red grew fainter from Itachi's eyes, but the older Uchiha managed to run into his partner's battle.

_He's getting away!_ Sasuke thought in panic.

Neji's eyes, seeing this coming, widened when Itachi grabbed Kisame from Shikamaru's hold. "Hey!" Ino yelled. "They're getting away!" True enough, Itachi and Kisame were speeding into the forest before anyone could follow them.

As they traveled as quickly as they could deep into the forest, Itachi thought, _I'm impressed, foolish little brother. You've gotten stronger in a short amount of time._ He shook his head amusedly.

_And Naruto-kun. To have control over the Kyuubi that way… at such a young age too… very impressive. I've never seen any jinchuuriki who could control its power like that._

_And last of all, Sakura-san. _Itachi smiled wearily. _In the short time I have fought her, I learned but a little. But I won't make the same mistake of putting her in Tsukuyomi again._

As of then, he and Kisame were out of chakra, but he knew what he was going to do the next time he would encounter Team 7, the Team Kakashi.

His eyes had become completely onyx, and his surroundings were blurry. They were about 13 kilometers away from Neji's team by his calculations. He paused and collapsed by a tree, fatigue finally catching up to him.

"Itachi-san," Kisame said, frowning as he knelt beside him.

"Just get me to Naosume-san," Itachi muttered as Kisame supported him, letting Itachi hold onto him by the shoulders. But even in the prodigy's tiredness, he felt a small sense of anticipation.

_You have interesting friends, foolish little brother. I wonder which of them you're going to kill to get these eyes._

_Next time, Sakura-san, Sasuke, Naruto-kun… I won't hold back as much.

* * *

_

Sasuke made to give chase, but Neji held him back. "Drop it, Uchiha," he said glumly. "They're retreating, and there's no way you can catch up with your loss of chakra."

The raven-haired nin knew the Hyuuga was right. "Aa." He looked around, noticing everyone's injuries and lack of energy, and Sakura's pale face. "Looks like you have a weakened team to take care of, Hyuuga."

Neji bristled, gathering his last chakra to seal Sasuke's tenketsu once again. "Don't order me about, Uchiha." Once more, Neji evoked Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou, and Sasuke's tenketsu were rendered useless.

But the Sharingan boy's mind was on another matter. He looked far beyond the distance.

_Am I worthy of your notice now,_ niisan_?

* * *

_

**Next chapter…**

**Sasuke:** And so we journey home again. Sakura's still unconscious, but the Hyuuga heiress has taken over, it seems. The other Hyuuga, however, is brooding.

In fact, now that I come to think about it, everyone is brooding, upset by the recent events. And the other side has plans… what could they be?

Well, this is a nice journey home. Gloomy, dark, and upsetting. Very ideal conditions. Ha. _Not._

Next chapter, _The Journey's End – Winding Road._

I hate this. Very much.

* * *

**AN: **(1) Super Size Technique 

(2) Fire Skill: Multiple Large Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique (made up)

(3) Wind Skill: Hurricane Dragon (made up)

(4) Fire Skill: Fire Dragon Claw (made up)

(5) Four Legged Skill

(6) Water Dragon Technique (made up)

Wow. They actually survived all that. Whew. Glad I finished that arc. Finally we can start on Sasuke's trial.

Maybe you noticed Naruto only reached to the beginning of Kyuubi level 3? It's only because if he reaches 4, he will recognize neither friend nor foe, so Sakura coming back would be useless, and because no one would be able to stop him. I thought he needed to stop himself, so I only made him reach level 3.Glad we straightened that out.

Next chapter, I'll be introducing three OCs (original characters). One of them would be delved into, the two others will just be mentioned. Guess who the first OC is (hint: I already mentioned her somewhere in the chapter). I promise you there will be NO Mary Sues. I know, a lot of authors say this and their OCs turn out to be Mary Sues, but you have to trust me not to make the same mistake.


	10. Journey’s End – Winding Road

**AN: **Here's Chapter 10! In this chapter, I'll be introducing three of the OCs (original characters), but only actually delving only into one. Please tell me if they're Mary Sue-ish in your opinion, and I'll _downplay_ them a bit. I can't remove them, though; I've finished the entire epic outline already and it won't function without them.

I'm sorry about my weird actions about the OCs, but I've seen some authors get bashed because of the OCs they create. I don't want the same treatment, so I'd rather not draw the treatment to me. I'd want us to meet halfway, okay? So I won't let the OCs take over the fic. They will remain secondary, tertiary, and quaternary characters. Team 7 is the main focus of my fic. And I will reiterate this again and again if there is at least one person who doesn't get it and will bash me for my OCs.

And if you hate OCs and feel the need to bash me because of this, then either keep quiet about it and bear it, or stop reading this fic, because not only will I not listen to your flames, I won't remove the OCs because several of them are vital. You have been warned. Thank you.

I'm really sorry, but there won't be action in this chapter. It's kind of a reflecting time for our characters.

Thanks to the readers and reviewers who have stuck by me and put up with my too long chapters these past nine chaps! I really love you guys, and life would be emptier without you.

**Most especially to: sweetmaiden, Shards of Hidden Memories **(see for yourself...)**, Suki dah Turdle, edakumi-sama, Nekory-Sama **(thank you!)**, YoungSasuke, PrincessChii, Pink-Kunoichi-16 **(the answer's in this chap)**, Yami Umi **(your rant is love, hun)**, crakbaby23 **(oops, big booboo. I thought I made it up because I even had to use a Jap-Eng dictionary to make the technique. Now that I researched, I see your point)**, Celestartial Blossoms **(hehe, that's for Chap 11)**, itchinhi, animemistress419, Hinata-hime **(you wanna see Itachi-chan pwned? Read Itachi Must Die! by Oukaru Hanako. Title is self-explanatory)**, Dragon Man 180 **(haha, wasn't it obvious? ((grin)) Their control will get better later into the fic)**, Lyzz2nwn, Sakurachild **(It's too soon for Ita-chan to die. And I was inspired by Ino and Saku's fight when I wrote Chap 9)**, Only Secret, Kakaru, Kurenai Chinoumi, Queen Cow and Steak **(Inner Sakura's like the curse seal or the Kyuubi for Sakura, IMO)**, Oukaru Hanako, susakuru, Ennariel **(it's called irony. Hehe)**, Mimiru-Sama **(a Mary Sue is an original character that embodies absolutely perfect characteristics like characters all love her, she has several bloodlines, she gets all the guys, and she has so much angst it'll put Sasuke to shame. Do you now see why a lot of readers hate her so much?)**, Dust-in, animegirlluver98, koa-chan, Silver Warrior, Drake-Azaroth **(I know I said the fillers didn't happen, but I couldn't help but let Hinata use that technique. It's just so cool)**, suggie-chan, warprince2000, silverkage-chan, Lady-valasia, bluflamez...** and everyone who read, and reviewed recently in the other chapters!

36 reviews... hm, only slightly better than the last. Ah, well. Anyhoo, you guys all get Naruto-in-a-Box! Wind it up, listen to Gyu-ru-ru, and watch Naruto pop out of the box! Like Jack-in-a-Box, only with more pazzazz!

**Warning: **Slight ItaOC, but it isn't too lovey-dovey. However, there is some slight lime between them. If you think this is another of those Itachi-is-madly-in-love-with-a-Mary-Sues, you are sadly, sadly mistaken. Because there is no "hot passion" between my OC and Itachi-chan, nor is she a Mary Sue. There're just their expressionless faces. I'm just saying. No fluff, kids. There _is_ some NejiTen and NaruHina fluff, though. Dang. I _hate_ Mary Sues.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Journey's End – Winding Road

* * *

**

The exhausted Team Neji decided to stay in where they were for a while, to recuperate. Hinata put all her efforts in making ointment for everyone's wounds. However, not having the same medical skill Sakura had, she couldn't do much about the internal injuries. There were a few displaced ribs, twisted ankles, and a little internal bleeding, but all she could do was put together bandages and feed her patients with Blood Formation Pills.

Sakura was still unconscious, having taken a very strenuous mental beating. Hinata had managed to put ointment on Sakura's various wounds, but she could do nothing for Sakura's state. She sighed. Not being able to help her friend in need was rather depressing.

Hinata had fed them all with Soldier Pills as well, to help them get through the rest of the journey. The sun was setting, and soon they would be able to rest a little. Ino had volunteered to take the first shift of watching over Sakura, while Tenten got the second shift. Hinata would need all the rest she could get, aside from the Pills, if any injuries worsened the next day.

They all ate dinner morosely, the silence punctuated only by small comments, like how much time it would take to get home; Shikamaru calculated that if they traveled nonstop during the day and only slept four hours a night, then they would arrive at afternoon the day after next.

Hinata honestly didn't mind that lack of rest. She wanted to get home, and quick, before they met other obstacles. _It's unfortunate, though_, she thought, smoothing her sleeping bag across the tent floor. She snuggled in, but her pearl eyes were still wide awake. _I can't believe we fought the Sound and the Akatsuki in only one mission_. She turned to her side. _It's lucky we got away with only injuries._

Her thoughts turned to Naruto. _Naruto-kun… a jinchuuriki?_ she asked herself. _No wonder the grown-ups of the village look at him so strangely. It was probably kept from us all this time._ She put a hand on her heart. _Oh, Naruto-kun… I'm just so happy you're safe…_

Hinata closed her eyes. _You survived the Akatsuki this one time, Naruto-kun… I just hope next time you'll be just, if not more, lucky… You were lucky enough to survive the village's hate of the Kyuubi, after all…_ She smiled sadly. _I really do admire you, Naruto-kun.

* * *

_

Just like his cousin, Neji lay awake in his tent, though it was not because Lee and Naruto were snoring loudly beside him. His thoughts of the erstwhile battle kept his eyes open. Unable to take Lee's mumblings of "Yes, the springtime of youth awaits us!", he crawled out of the tent he shared with them and sat under a tree instead, watching dark clouds flit over the moon.

_This was my first mission to lead a team_, he thought. _I'm not sure if I handled this well. I got our target, I got my team through without deaths, but I'm not without shortcomings._ He frowned in disappointment. _When we almost failed in that mission, I didn't take any efforts to try again, unlike Sakura, or even Naruto._ He smirked to himself sadly. _I guess, when it comes to giving up, I'm still a lot better than Naruto._

He was so deep in thought that he _almost_ jumped out of his skin when someone beside him said, "Oi, Neji."

However, Hyuuga geniuses don't jump out of their skin, so he just went, "Tenten, shouldn't you be asleep?"

Tenten shifted nearer, and Neji made space for her in the narrow space between the roots of the tree, so that they were squeezed together. "I couldn't sleep," she said quietly, the moonlight reflecting on her skin. "It's probably those Soldier Pills…"

"Aa," Neji agreed. "They're too much of a stimulant. I'm surprised Naruto and Lee could sleep through it."

Tenten watched the expression on his face shrewdly. "But that's not the reason you're awake, is it?" she asked. She nudged Neji. "Come on, tell me, what's up? What's on your mind, Hyuuga?"

"Tell me something, Tenten…" Addressed girl tilted her head to the side. "How did I do, leading this mission?"

She was quiet for a while, contemplating on the question. Then she said, "Neji, I'm going to be quite frank about this."

"I don't mind," Neji said. "My eyes can tell if you aren't being honest anyway."

Tenten grinned. "Which is why you hardly find me lying to you." She turned solemn. "Seriously, Neji, I think you were great. Hep! Don't interrupt," she added when Neji opened his mouth. "You got through without anyone dying, you were firm, stern, and a bit of an ass-" Neji glared at her, and she grinned again, "-but hey, all great leaders are, right? Whether we liked it or not, you just did what you had to do."

"And most of all," Tenten finished, taking his hand and scanning his fingernails (Neji raised an eyebrow at this), "you were a good follower as well as a leader. You took Shikamaru's advice. You took suggestions. And you took care of your subordinates. You followed them up, even when Sakura kind of ran away. You were amazing, Neji."

His pearly eyes bore into Tenten's chocolate ones, trying to see if she was lying or not. She looked steadily back at him, a small smile flickering on her lips. "You don't believe me, now do you?" she asked, grinning. Then she laughed. "I can't believe _you_, Neji," she continued. She stretched her body and leant on him. The Hyuuga's silver orbs widened. "I wouldn't expect that you, of all people, would have an inferiority complex."

He didn't reply, and the girl yawned widely, stretching. "Maa," she murmured. "It's so boring to be talking to a tree. I think I'll nap awhile… I've got guard duty…" She curled up against Neji and sighed, dozing off.

The Hyuuga watched her as she snored lightly, a spot of drool actually appearing at the corner of her mouth. He smirked, using her collar to wipe it away. _What a tomboy_, he said to himself. He smiled a little. _Amazing, am I?_ He shook his head. _You're more amazing, Tenten. It seems you're the only one sane from our old genin team, and you remained liked that, in all oddness._

That was true. From the beginning, Gai and Lee had been mental cases – their clothes, their hair, and their grins (the ones that go _ping_, or so Tenten swore by her collection of weaponry) were enough to vouch for that. At first glance, he himself wouldn't seem as crazy as his green-clad teammates, but all his hype about destiny did tend to project a whacked-in-the-head sort of image. He got cured of it (thanks to Naruto), but his mania for perfection, silence, and all the things that came with his genius-ness were still there.

Tenten was as normal as she could get, and that was probably why she was the only source of stability he (and probably Gai and Lee) could have. That was why he needed her opinion about his leadership the most. Lee would only say something about "the springtime of youth", and the rest didn't know him all that well. She was the one who knew him best, and therefore the most entitled to give him her opinion. She had been quite critical of his abilities, driven by his erstwhile anger at the Main House. So she wasn't all too biased.

And her opinion, after all, was the one that mattered most of all.

* * *

It was another of those sleepless nights for Sasuke. Hinata had also fed him with Soldier Pills to keep him alert for the journey ahead, but the usual restraints were put on him. But it wasn't like he minded the wakefulness and the pain of the black hair rope digging into his wrists. In fact, he welcomed the physical pain. He had too much in his mind to just pass it up with sleep. 

He was kept in a tent, and Kiba, his guard for that shift, was sleeping so loudly that Sasuke doubted he could have slept even without the Soldier Pills. Shino, however, still wore his glasses in the dark, and he kept so still, so that it was impossible to tell whether he was watching or not.

The tent's flap was open, and he could somehow see Ino's shadow in the next tent, moving as she tended to their unconscious medic. Without thinking, Sasuke bit his lip.

A few hours before, there had been a kind of burning, furious feeling of triumph in him. He had actually almost beaten his brother in a fight. In fact, to push him that far was already an achievement for _anyone_. He had never gotten close to Uchiha Itachi's level before – no normal ninja could. But he had, in some way.

The light from Sakura's tent caught his eyes again, and he cursed under his breath. He couldn't deny he had help from his old teammates. The evidence of that was now lying in wretched sleep in the tent across theirs.

Sakura had diverted the Tsukuyomi from him, and Naruto had helped in beating the true Uchiha genius to a pulp, or what resembled a pulp. No matter what he said, he only held one-third of the victory. Naruto and Sakura, true to the Team 7 spirit he had thought long gone, had given them all they could to help him beat his brother.

A part of him was grateful they were there to help. If they hadn't believed in restoring Team 7 so much, he could've been worse than dead. Sakura's medic skills were of great help, and Naruto's enormous stamina and the fact Itachi was drawn to him because of the bijuu were also vital.

But a bigger part of him was angry. He was angry he wasn't strong enough to beat his brother alone. He needed two strong people's help, and that only meant he had to get at least thrice as strong if he was to avenge his clan. He didn't want them involved.

Only, the real reason he didn't want them in his battle was that there was a possibility _they_ could become worse than dead. Sakura was now psychologically scarred. A lot more could happen in the next few years.

No matter how much he tried to deny it, they were a team. He worried about them, they worried about him. And they all seemed to force themselves on each others' goals.

It was only a pity Sasuke didn't realize it yet.

* * *

The cave was dark, but that didn't mean Kisame could get lost so easily. This place was familiar – very familiar. He walked the dark chambers of the place, the heavy weight of the Uchiha prodigy on his back. He grunted, and shifted the now weak Itachi on his back. 

A few hours back, Itachi had fallen unconscious because of the excessive use of the Mangekyou. It was lucky for them that they had been within a few miles of the Akatsuki hideout. He had to get Itachi to the medic of the Akatsuki, Naosume-san, as the Sharingan user called her.

The shark man trudged down the place, occasionally grunting because of the weight on his back. He wasn't as wounded as Itachi, which was lucky – if the Uchiha didn't get medical attention quickly, he would suffer a slow and painful death. The brats of Konoha, especially the puny Uchiha and his playmates, had made sure of that.

He entered a torch-lit hall and navigated his way to the chambers of the dark-haired medic. Kisame didn't like her. She was too gaunt, and too much of a know-it-all to be really liked. But she was a medic and she was vital to the organization, not to mention she was the Akatsuki Leader's niece. He couldn't argue with the appointment of a little girl in the most dangerous criminal society on Earth just because she had a powerful relative.

"Are we there yet?" Itachi muttered from the back, sounding almost like a child if his voice wasn't so deep.

"Just a few more steps, Itachi-san," Kisame mumbled reassuringly.

Sure enough, they could hear the distant tinkling of bottles and the hissing of the various healing potions soon after. Kisame followed the sound and entered a well-lit chamber.

"You're supposed to knock, Kisame-san," a deep feminine voice admonished softly. A woman with long, lank black hair, and heavily lidded electric blue eyes stepped out of the shadows of her storeroom, her Akatsuki cloak swishing behind her. Kisame made a noncommittal noise in his throat.

"The door was open, Jou-chan (1)," he said irritably. Itachi stirred feebly on his back, and Naosume rolled her eyes.

"I suppose he overdid it again," she said in an impatient tone. She had now gotten into the role of a fussy nurse, one Kisame _absolutely_ disliked. "Come on, lay him here." She pointed out a cot behind the counter full of brewing herbs. Kisame did as he was told.

"I suppose I should leave you now," he growled. "_Jou-chan_."

Without taking her eyes off Itachi, she said almost pointedly, "Yes, I suppose you should." Kisame scowled, not liking the way he was being treated, like some kind of hindrance. His wounds weren't even healed yet.

"Take some of those purple pills on the counter," Naosume continued expressionlessly. "It'll heal all your wounds. So far, all I've seen are external wounds. I wouldn't know how to get rid of the seals on your tenketsu, though."

Kisame scowled deeper. It was one thing to be told what to do by a woman, it was another to be made to feel stupid by the same woman. But he didn't argue, only taking a pill and going out of the room, slamming the door shut.

Naosume turned her ice blue orbs onto the subconscious Uchiha. Green chakra soon formed around her hand, and slowly but surely, she healed Itachi's many wounds. Soon enough, the dark-haired man's face was livelier, and she was paler because of the loss of chakra. But all his most serious wounds were healed enough.

Itachi opened his eyes and frowned. Sensing a change in his chakra flow, Naosume said, "Don't use your Sharingan, Itachi-san. You lost a lot of chakra, and you're worsening your condition."

"I can't see much," Itachi said. "I can't see _you_ much." Naosume's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but it was only for a fleeting moment. Too soon, it was replaced by her customary scowl.

"You're only damaging your eyes more," she said. She paused. "Itachi-san."

"I can see less than usual."

"Each use of the Mangekyou is rendering you blind faster than ever," Naosume said. "I can't heal it, Itachi-san. I can only give you mixtures to slow down the process. The structure of your eyes, the Uchiha eyes, is different from normal eyes, so that if I heal you with the usual Chiyute no Jutsu, I might even speed up the process."

Itachi said nothing. Naosume's hollow eyes stared at him, and she let her cool fingers touch his cheek in a feathery light manner. He twitched, but kept quiet. Her fingers moved up and down his face, then down onto his neck. He looked up at her, and he saw, through the darkness that surrounded his now coal eyes, that she was expressionless as usual. Her face was gaunt, but she was pretty enough to have one's heart ache in the melancholy expression her face took.

Something flashed in both their eyes, and soon, both of their cloaks, their scratched forehead protectors, and some of their clothes had been deposited on the floor.

It was _that_ fast. But this was something of a ritual for them, no matter how rare the opportunity came. Itachi would come back quite wounded and blinder, Naosume would heal him, and something would rise up between them, a pent-up emotion that neither of them showed too often, and it would come to this. There was no other emotion except this sudden, raw, almost bestial feeling.

It was only a result of two people who kept their emotions at bay for too much, too long.

Meanwhile, Deidara hurried through the chambers of the Akatsuki's current headquarters. Their Leader was calling for a meeting, and to his misfortune, he had been ordered to find all the Akatsuki members, scattered all around the large headquarters.

"And who am I to argue?" Deidara muttered to himself. "That old geezer's too powerful, yeah."

He poked his head into one room. "Hey, Zetsu," he said to the plant-like man. "Meeting at the main hall, yeah. Leader wants us all there, yeah."

Zetsu grunted and ruffled his leaves. "Will do." Deidara nodded and hurried to the other chambers.

He arrived where Tobi, their pending member, was staying. A small flare of annoyance burst through him as he was reminded of their first meeting. "Yo, Tobi," Deidara called. "We have a meeting at the main hall, yeah."

"That's great," Tobi said. "But what about the fact I'm not a member yet?"

"Leader might decide on that, yeah," the blond artist explained, although a little vindictively he wished this was not so, not yet. "Just go, Tobi." Tobi nodded and went on his way.

He went on and on until he reached the two final rooms. Itachi's was empty, so he decided to ask the Uchiha's partner. Deidara poked his head into Kisame's room, where the shark man sat on his bed, a big scowl on his face. "What is it, Deidara?" he barked as he wrapped a bandage around his arm.

"Meeting at the main hall, yeah," Deidara said, deciding to tread lightly around the touchy swordsman. "What got your goat, Kisame?"

"That stupid little girl," Kisame muttered. "Always acting like we're lesser mortals compared to her. _I'll_ teach her a lesson, she just wait and see."

Deidara rolled his blue eyes. He had nothing against Naosume, nor did he care what she did. She was only someone he went to when he had great injuries. He didn't like her attitude either, but he was grateful for the healing she doled out. "Just be patient with her, yeah," Deidara advised. "She's just… a little spoiled by her uncle, that's all, yeah."

Kisame only muttered a stream of colorful words and lumbered off to the main hall. Deidara set off to find Naosume, then Itachi. _Where could Uchiha be, yeah?_

The meeting was about to start, and the Akatsuki Leader did not value lateness. He hurried and burst into Naosume's room. "Hey, Naosume-san, the meeting's starting, ye-"

He stopped at mid-sentence. For on the cot in her lab, was the esteemed leader's niece and said leader's favorite soldier, in a compromising position.

Hurriedly, Deidara averted his blue eyes, and Itachi threw his cloak over Naosume, whose usually pale face was tinged with pink. "S-so like I was saying, yeah," the artist continued uncomfortably, to break the awkward silence. "We're going to be late, yeah."

"Am I really needed there, Deidara-san?" Naosume asked. "I'm not even a real member… I don't even have a ring."

"Your uncle said everyone has to be there, yeah," Deidara replied, looking down on the foot he was scuffing against the stone floor. "Even you, I guess, yeah."

Itachi stood up without a word or expression and picked up his shirt and his cloak, fixing himself. "I think the lady would appreciate it if you went out of the room, Deidara," he said pointedly. The blond only mumbled feebly and hurried out of the room without another word.

Itachi turned to Naosume, who smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Itachi turned his back on her as she slipped into her clothes again. "No problem."

He waited until she was finished, then they set off to the main hall together, without a word to each other. But Naosume stared at Itachi for a while and smiled a little at his small deed.

_Sometimes, Itachi-san, I think I might love you._

They moved into the hall quickly, where the Akatsuki Leader stood waiting, his face obscured by the shadow of the cool cave. "We have three of the bijuu in our possession now," he began. "And we have just found out the whereabouts of two others – the Nibi and the Hachibi."

There was a little muttering, and when the Leader raised his hand for silence, they all fell quiet. "The Nibi's jinchuuriki is girl from the Hidden Cloud of Lightning Country, a girl from the esteemed Nekotachi clan. As befitting her lineage as a cat user, she holds a neko youma(2). Her name is Nekotachi Midori."

"Well, that could be easy," Tobi piped up. "She's a girl with only a two tailed demon."

"Our sources, however, say that she has more control on her demon than any of the jinchuuriki, even with the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki," their leader sighed. "But the Nibi might be easier to handle."

"How about the other jinchuuriki?" one of the others in the shadows asked.

"The Hachibi's jinchuuriki, Hokujo Bokun, is from the small fry village called Hidden Glass of Hurricane Country. His bijuu is a hebi(3), and it is almost as dangerous as the Kyuubi. Bokun has a very unstable nature and exhibits little control over his bijuu, so he is also a potentially dangerous target."

There was murmuring again. "Both of them are chuunin in their respective villages, and they will participate in this year's Jounin Exams, or so we are told," the Leader said.

"So we'll be attending the Jounin Exams, then?" Itachi asked.

"Yes. I'd like to see the Kages as well, when they gather there, especially dear Tsunade-hime and Gaara-kun," the Leader said casually, but his eyes gleamed malice. "Then we'll observe both jinchuuriki and begin our preparations for a fourth bijuu in our _collection_."

Tobi wrung his hands in anticipation. Zetsu grunted, Kisame wore a leer, and Deidara smirked and nodded. Itachi remained expressionless, and Naosume looked resigned. The rest wore sneers of varying degrees of anticipation and malevolence.

The wheels of the plans of the Akatsuki had begun turning once more.

* * *

Early morning light filtered into the Hokage's office, filled to bursting with documents and mission scrolls. The current occupant of the office was snoring loudly, her face stuck to the scroll she had been reviewing the night before. 

_Tap tap tap._

Tsunade groaned and covered her ears with her arm. She mumbled incoherently and tried to get back to sleep.

_Tap tap tap._

It persisted. The blonde Hokage fought the urge to throw her shoe at whomever or whatever was making that noise. She grunted and shifted in her seat so that she was as far away from the sound as possible.

_TAP TAP TAP._

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" she yelled in annoyance, the tapping finally getting to her. She lifted her face and peeled off the scroll stuck to it. She glanced at the source of the tapping. She raised an eyebrow. "A messenger bird?"

The door slammed open, revealing a harried Shizune and a casual-looking Kakashi, hands in pockets. "Tsunade-sama!" the black-haired woman said. "What's the yelling all about?" She took in Tsunade's drool-streaked chin and the ink that had stuck on her cheek and resisted rolling her eyes. "Geez, you fell asleep on your work again?"

But Lady Hokage was not paying attention to her apprentice as she unfurled the small note the bird brought. "What's it say, Tsunade-sama, if you don't mind me asking?" Kakashi asked, his lone eye a little curious. "I was dropping by to say I'm ready to take missions again-"

"Well, it's good you're here, at any rate," Tsunade said curtly. Her face would have looked comical because of the drool and the ink stuck on her cheek, but her expression was serious. She held out the letter. "I just received word from Neji about their mission's status."

Kakashi's eye widened a little. "That's about the retrieval mission, right?"

"Were they successful?" Shizune asked quickly.

Tsunade smiled in relief. "Yes, they are," she said. Her expression turned a little grim. "Sasuke's with them. He reported no deaths, but Sakura is unconscious. He says they met the Akatsuki on the way."

Shizune gasped, and Kakashi became a little more alert. "And what happened?" he asked.

"Well, he survived to tell us they're coming back in a day and a half, right?" Tsunade smiled. "Well, Kakashi, originally, I didn't have a mission for you, but in light of this note, here's your mission."

Kakashi smiled and leaned forward. He was in the mood for a little action.

* * *

The band of Leaf chuunin and their jounin leader moved a little faster than before through the last forest that separated them from home. Everyone was better, having used the night to recover, but as Neji put it, the sooner they got within Fire Country boundaries, the better. It had been decided that Naruto, with Sakura on his back, had best move to Konoha faster than the others to get Sakura to the hospital. Hinata accompanied him, so that nothing would catch him unawares, as he was focused on protecting his pink-haired friend. 

It was now afternoon, and for Naruto and Hinata, that only meant they were less than twenty-four hours away from Konoha. They were jumping from tree to tree as quickly as possible, but they were as quiet as ever.

Naruto felt a pair of eyes on his back, and he called, "Hey Hinata-chan."

Hinata made a small noise in her throat, and stammered, "Y-yes, Naruto-kun?"

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked bluntly but kindly.

Hinata made another noise ("Gnnnhhh!"), blushing. Then, taking courage, she replied softly, "Um, well, I was thinking… you know… about yesterday… a-and…" Her voice got softer. "…and the f-fact that y-you're… you're a…"

Naruto knew what she was about to say, and felt a small pang on his chest. _I'm a jinchuuriki._

"A-anou, N-naruto-kun?" Hinata asked tentatively. He said nothing. "I-I'm sorry I offended you… um… it's just that… a lot of people must… must be… um… chasing after you… and… scared of you… or somewhat…"

"Don't, worry, you didn't offend me," he said heavily, and Hinata started. "But you're right; the Akatsuki has been after me for three years. And the villagers…"

"…They've treated you harshly," the Hyuuga heiress said sadly. "They must think… you're the demon itself…"

"They do," Naruto said, and Hinata paced herself to leap beside him. "When I was a kid, I wondered why most of the grown-ups looked at me like something weird. Their eyes were always… hurtful. Really hurtful. Always cold and hateful."

"And that's why… you wanted to be acknowledged?"

"Yeah. It wasn't later that I found out about the Kyuubi. Then their stares had reason – but that only made it hurt more than ever. It felt like I was being blamed for something I know I didn't do."

Hinata swallowed, not used to this more serious, melancholy side of Naruto. "But… you know, Naruto-kun… some people… they look up to you now… they don't see you as a bother anymore, you know…"

Naruto snorted in disbelief, feeling a little cynical at the moment. "Like who?"

"Like my father," Hinata said, her voice stronger. Naruto's sapphire orbs widened. "He says… you are to be respected… after he saw your fight with Neji-niisan, and heard your sentiments. He said you were wise beyond your years because you have experienced pain beyond your years."

"He… said that?" Naruto asked softly, not daring to believe it. Was he actually acknowledged by the head of one of the most powerful clans in the village?

"I've heard many people," Hinata continued. "I always kept my eyes and ears open for your name, Naruto-kun, when you were gone for two and a half years. Many of them watched your fight with Neji-niisan. Many of them changed their opinions about you because of that match, and when you defeated the Ichibi. Some even say you're becoming a hero in your own right."

"Really?" Naruto asked, his interest piqued and his ears perked up. He was even grinning now. "So they think I'm a hero now, huh?"

"Some of the people still think you're annoying, with your noise and your pranks," Hinata said, "but they say… as long as you keep protecting the village like you do, they'll put up with them."

"Well," Naruto mused, his cheerfulness coming back to him, "now that I stop to think, I'm only noisy when I'm not being paid attention to. Now that I'm acknowledged a little, maybe I can be quieter, ne?" Hinata smiled. He stopped jumping from branch to branch, and Hinata did the same, confused.

From the hour he had revealed to his friends what he truly was, he had become uncharacteristically insecure about his so-called secret, and his resentment of the Akatsuki caused him to become a little brooding. But no one had gone so out of the way to cheer him up other than Hinata. He watched her intensely, and her cheeks colored deeply. The way she had talked was different. He didn't know why, but her sudden burst of confidence made him feel better.

"You know, Hinata-chan," he started, "I kind of started this day in a really bad mood. But you made me cheer up, even if it isn't really your concern. And…" He scratched his nose a little. "Thanks for not minding what I am… and not showing if you're angry at me or anything."

Hinata's pearly eyes widened at his gratitude, and her shyness went back to her. "I d-don't have r-reason… t-to, um, get mad at you… Naruto-kun," she stuttered softly. "I – um, I think that… being mad at you i-is, kind of, um, stupid, b-because I know… it's not your fault. I…" She looked up momentarily. "I've never felt anything except admiration for you, Naruto-kun." She looked back down on the ground.

Naruto blinked at her. She _admired_ him? No one had ever said that to him, not even Konohamaru. His tan cheeks actually heated a little. "Whoa. Thanks, Hinata-chan." He grinned. "We never get to talk much, but you know exactly how to make me smile, you know? You really made my day with that."

"I-I… um… I…" she stammered, twiddling her thumbs, blushing furiously and not meeting his eye, "um… y-you're… y-you're w-welcome… Naruto-kun…"

Naruto stared at her, then laughed hard. "MAN! Hinata-chan, you are _so_ weird!" Hinata bowed her head, not knowing what to say. "Why do you always do that anyway?" he asked genially. "You know, stammer and twiddle your fingers and stuff? Are you nervous around me or something?" He searched her cherry red face. "Or are you embarrassed to be around me?" He hoped silently that it wasn't the latter.

"N-no… n-not e-e-embarrassed… no…" Hinata squeaked, shaking her head hard, not used to being scrutinized this hard, and the blond sighed in relief. "Y-you're… no… I mean…"

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Well, are you nervous then?" He tried to smile at her, but she just wouldn't meet his eye. He laughed again. "Come on, Hinata-chan, it's just me."

_That's the problem!_ Hinata cried in her head helplessly. _It's because it's you!_

But Naruto put an arm around her (being careful not to drop Sakura), and she felt rather faint. "Aw come on, Hinata-chan. Don't be like that! I mean, you're cuter when you're being not so shy, know what I mean?"

"C-cute?" Hinata felt a little stunned by this compliment. _All right Hinata, breathe… Keep calm, that's it…_

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "Maybe even cuter than Sakura-chan, since she's all scary with her freaky strength now. But don't tell her I said that."

Now she was being compared to Sakura, one of the girls she admired most! This was almost too much. _He said you're cute when you're calmer… so act like it!_ she encouraged herself. "Thank y-you, Naruto-kun," she said softly, meeting his eye and smiling, keeping her stammers to the minimum.

Now, this was the first time Hinata actually smiled at him without averting her eyes right away, so he had a chance to actually see her pretty smiling face. His cheeks heated up a little more and his heart jumped. "That's it!" he exclaimed, trying to cover up the sudden flustered feeling in him. He grinned at her, and she actually smiled wider. "Now, come on, we have to get Sakura-chan to Konoha!"

"Yes, Naruto-kun!" Hinata murmured, and they jumped towards Konoha again.

Shikamaru looked ahead of him, almost counting the miles till they got to Konoha. It was now early evening, and Neji had said, since there were no other serious injuries in the group other than Sakura's, they didn't need all that rest, so their rest period had been whittled down to two hours instead of four.

Kiba was jumping ahead of them with Akamaru. On either side of him, Tenten and Lee traveled in silence, and behind him, he could hear Chouji and Ino talking in hushed tones, and he knew somewhere at the very back, Shino and Neji were guarding Sasuke, and all three of them were in brooding silence.

He yawned. This journey back was taking a toll on him more than ever. _So troublesome_, he thought. He looked up at the leaf canopy and frowned. _I didn't even get to see the clouds today. Tch._

He was tired, and his leg muscles were screaming protest. "Ino," he called to the back. "Gimme some of those Soldier Pills Hinata left you." Ino smiled, and Shikamaru noticed her smile was tired. Chouji's movements were slowing down too. _I guess they're as tired as me_.

Ino dug into her pouch and tossed him the bottle. "Pass those all around," Neji called from the back as Shikamaru put one in his mouth and swallowed, feeling energy flow back into his system. Then he tossed it to Lee, who took another one. Soon enough, everyone had taken Soldier Pills, but the small bottle only held enough for one last taking a few hours from then.

_At this rate, we'll get overdosed with Soldier Pills_, Shikamaru thought. _We've been taking them every six hours for the past twenty-four hours. How long will we last without rest till we get back to Konoha?_

His question was answered a few hours later, at around ten in the evening. They had been traveling by the light of the moon already, and everyone was getting tired. Tenten was the first to complain. "Hey, Neji, can't we rest now?" she asked. "We've been traveling nonstop for the whole day."

"One more hour, Tenten," Neji said. "Then we'll take a two-hour rest."

No one could suppress their groans. "But we've been traveling for so long, and we only have one round of Soldier Pills left!" Kiba protested. "We can't depend on them too much to tide us over!"

"We have food we can eat on the way," Neji said indifferently.

"But Neji," Chouji said, "our limbs are tired. I doubt we can lift a potato chip. What we need is a lot of rest."

"We have to get to Konoha in the morning so we can really get some rest," their leader replied irritably. "Stop complaining and let's just travel in silence. You'll just spend more energy arguing with me."

"Neji," Lee said, "you're becoming irritable, and that's a sure sign of tiredness. I believe in the power of youth, but I have doubts with limitless energy. We have to stop or…"

"…we'll all die of fatigue." Shino finished bluntly.

"Dammit, Shino, Lee, not you too…" Neji grumbled. The argument between the chuunins and their jounin leader continued. Neji was stubborn in believing they could get through the last forest with their amount of energy, while the rest wanted sleep.

Even Sasuke felt compelled to join in, even with his brooding nature. "Hyuuga, even with your so-called all-seeing eyes, you still can't see your team needs some rest?" He smirked a little as Neji narrowed his eyes at him.

"I don't remember you being part of the team to give me your opinion," he snarled. "Shut up, Uchiha."

Shikamaru, who did not care for arguments, noticed that Ino's voice wasn't among the sounds of argument. "Yo, Ino, what do you think?" Shikamaru said, looking over his shoulder.

Ino's eyelids, heavy with exhaustion, widened a little at being addressed. Shikamaru's voice had been loud enough to carry through the whole group. Everyone knew that Ino's opinion was often heard, as she was usually the one who voiced it out the most. Strangely, she had been quiet throughout the argument.

"Um," Ino began. Everyone waited. "Well, my brain's working a little slowly… and I can't think straight…"

"Well, that only says how tired you are," Shikamaru said. "So Ino, you wanna rest or do you wanna go ahead?"

Ino replied with a wide, unlady-like yawn. Everyone looked at each other, and true to the saying that yawns are catching, everyone began yawning as well. "Well," Lee said, trying to stifle his own, "looks like everyone's tired, even you, Neji."

For he had just caught Neji trying to stifle a yawn behind his hand. He blushed a little and growled, "Fine. We'll rest here. But we won't set up camp."

There was no applause or sighs of relief. Everyone was too tired, after all, to even get down from the branches and find beds on the forest floor.

* * *

At last, at long last, Konoha was in sight. Every bone in Naruto's body ached. And as he saw the walls of his village from a distance, he knew he had never been happier to be home before. He shifted Sakura's weight on his back and went faster. Hinata tried to keep up with him. 

"When I get back," Naruto said to himself tiredly, "first thing I'm going to do is eat ramen! How about you, Hinata-chan? Any plans?"

"W-well," Hinata said, "I thought… um… I'd get some ramen too."

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed. "Now I have a ramen partner! Sometimes, Sakura-chan or Kakashi-sensei get tired of ramen, you know, so they don't come with me as often, and Iruka-sensei has classes to teach, so I'm alone when I eat these days, so Hinata-chan, it's great you're coming with me!"

Naruto set off on a long rant about ramen and his favorite kinds, while Hinata listened amusedly. _He must miss home this much_, she thought. _What with the extremities of our mission…_

She cast a look at the girl on Naruto's back as Naruto's voice faded from her ears. _Sakura-chan's so brave… she risked dying just to save Sasuke-san. And not just from the Tsukuyomi either, but also from him. And Naruto-kun as well. They love him so much. They have such an incredible bond that I'm sure Sasuke-san will feel somehow. They're so dedicated to him, and if Sasuke-san will only feel it, they could become one of the strongest teams ever, because of their bond as well as their teamwork._

Hinata knew that they could have not defeated the Uchiha of the Akatsuki if they had not formed teamwork. Even Sasuke, who was supposed to be the rogue, the one who was supposed to disdain help, had contributed to the formation, not just bringing the brunt of the battle with him. Hinata admired his lack of arrogance in one of the most critical battles of his life.

"So, all in all, the sweet miso ramen is better than seafood, mainly because it costs cheaper and it's more filling," Naruto concluded. "But of course, pork ramen is still the best ramen, because of the meaty flavor, but Gramps at the Ichiraku says it's a little unhealthy, but who cares! It's – hey, Hinata-chan, you okay? You look a little funny."

Hinata's head snapped up. "Oh!" She looked away from him. "I was – um – preoccupied."

"Oh," Naruto said, a little disappointed. He could never really get anyone to listen about his speeches about ramen. "So, we going then, after I drop Sakura off at the hospital?"

"But what about the mission debriefing?" Hinata asked.

"I'm sure Neji'll look around for us," Naruto said, winking. "Tsunade no baachan would never start a debriefing without me, especially after the major role I played back there at the mission." He grinned. "I was a hero, wasn't I?"

Hinata giggled. "Don't let it get to your head, Naruto-kun," she teased, what with her newfound confidence around him. The night before, when they had rested, she tried, with good results, to poke fun at Naruto, and he took in good humor. They had made a new bond with each other.

Naruto made a mock-hurt face. "Aw, Hinata-chan, I thought you think I'm a hero!"

Hinata giggled. Then something caught her eye from afar. "Byakuugan," she murmured, and her eyes zoomed in through the forest. "One kilometer, two kilometers, three kilo – oh! N-naruto-kun, we're three kilometers from the village gates!"

They jumped out of the woody growth, onto a hill overlooking the village. Finally, at eight-seventeen in the morning, after more than a week of being away and six hours of non-stop travel, Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura were home.

* * *

Shino began to recognize the path they were taking. The trees were familiar, and they had just passed a hornet's nest that he often used as a landmark during travels such as this. There was no mistaking it. They were only two hours away from home. 

He mentioned this to Neji, who said, "We made good time. I wasn't expecting us to be home until after lunch."

"So we didn't that lack of sleep, Neji," Tenten admonished.

"Shut up, Tenten." Neji glared at her, and everyone was amazed Tenten could hold his gaze with a scowl of her own. A scowling Hyuuga was hard to behold.

"Well," Chouji said, to break the tension, "at least we know we're having lunch in Konoha."

"Yeah!" Ino agreed, now more energetic than before. "Finally, a warm meal, and not this junk food we've been eating! I swear, if we didn't travel so much, I wouldn't have burned all the carbs that came with them!"

Tenten, Ino, Chouji, Kiba and Lee began a boisterous conversation about what they'd do when they got home to Konoha. Shikamaru inserted comments here and there, but more often than not he would try and catch glimpses of the clouds through the forest ceiling.

Shino, Neji, and Sasuke, as always, were as silent as leaves, only making sounds when they were disturbed. From what the bug master could see, Neji was deep in thought again. But as he caught a glimpse of Sasuke from behind his dark glasses, his curiosity was tickled.

The raven-haired nukenin(4) looked agitated and bothered. Ever since he had mentioned the amount of time it would take to get home, Sasuke had looked like so. _I suppose it's because he hasn't seen Konoha in a very, very long time,_ Shino thought. _And after all, he's in for a lot back home. He's probably thinking of what would happen to him and his revenge._

"Hey Neji," Lee called to the back. "When we get back, fancy going and training with Gai-sensei? He promised he would take me on a two-day triathlon starting from home to Wave Country right after we get back."

"Are you forgetting we have a mission debriefing directly after?" Neji asked. "And I suppose we'll have a hearing for this guy too." He jerked his head in Sasuke's direction.

There was a sudden hush as everyone took note of Neji's words. Sasuke's face was twisted in a glum way. Everyone else was at a loss for words.

"Uh," Ino mumbled, to ease the tension, "I hope it goes well, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke only grunted, and Chouji hastily changed the subject. Their conversation was diverted from Sasuke's hearing, but Ino's mind was still on the subject. _For Sakura-chan and Naruto's sake, Sasuke-kun, please, don't screw up your last chance to redeem yourself._

Lee made an unwitting comment about Chouji's weight, and everyone laughed. "Oi! I'm not fat, I'm just big-boned, dammit!" the orange-haired boy yelled. "You-"

"Wait," Kiba said, stopping his laugh abruptly. He flung a hand backward, and everyone stopped.

"What's up?" Ino asked. Kiba sniffed the air.

"You won't believe it, but-"

"Yo."

Everyone looked around. Perched on a tree above them, holding his customary orange book of obscenities, was-

"Kakashi," Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Nice to see you back so soon, Sasuke," he said amiably. His visible eye crinkled to a smile. "Good job, Team Neji."

"Kakashi-san," Neji said, "what are you doing here?"

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Naruto:** Oh, boy. A trial. I can't believe I'm actually afraid of some boring meeting about some guy's fate. But this isn't just some guy, though, this is Sasuke! This isn't going to be boring because it's going to be Sasuke's fate we're talking about!

Well, at least Sakura-chan's okay. But she's going to be damn worried once she wakes up. I hope Sasuke-teme doesn't start acting up and become a jerk around her again. Goodness knows she's cried enough.

Tsunade no baachan's got to give him a chance. She won't execute him or anything. Not if the future Rokudaime Hokage-sama has anything to say about it!

Next chapter, _Verdict – A Reason to Live._

I'm really, _really_ going to beat him up if he screws this, though! This is his one chance to secure his future with us!

* * *

**AN:** (1) Missy, Little Missy. Kisame meant this in a rude way. Adapted from _Rurouni Kenshin_. 

(2) Cat demon.

(3) Snake.

(4) Missing nin. I'm a little unsure though. Is it _nukenin_ or _mukenin_?

I'm glad I finished this chapter! It's summer, but I've got internship, and we're going abroad, so I might not have much of a chance to update. But don't worry guys, I'll try as much as possible to coax (read: bug, bother, be obnoxious to) my cousins abroad to let me use their computer.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone, and I hope you review this chappie too! I'll try to write Chap 11 right away! And please send feedback about Naosume. I'd really like to know what you think about her. And I'll upload a picture of her on Deviant Art for your reference in case you can't picture her out. But be informed: she's a minor character. This about the only chapter she'll be shown.

Review?


	11. Verdict – A Reason to Live

**AN:** Yo, everyone, this is chapter 11! Now Sasuke's trial will really begin! We all know, of course, what the result will be, because I'm not _that_ evil, if you know what I mean, but the question is, how will the result come out? Yes. This is the chapter, people.

**All my thanks to... ** **x Sakura-chan, crakbaby23, ephermal dewdrops, Hinata-hime, Medical, Jays Arravan, Ennariel, PrincessChii, Prodigy Keyblade Wielder, Celestartial Blossoms **(what? OLD? ((shudders)) I wanted her to be a year younger than Ita-chan)**, Dragon Man 180 **( ((snicker)) we'll see.)**, edakumi-sama, machanbanlover, Queen Cow and Steak **(really? I thought it was a boring chapter)**, Great Saiyaman **(eh, sorry. Itachi won't really fall in love with her, mostly because that would ruin his character. But he ((radio noise BZZ)). Hehe I am evil)**, Mistress DragonFlame **(etto, sorry. Thanks for giving me your opinion though)**, SoulShine, Jack Inqu **(yes! Thank you for pledging to warn me!)**, Jewny **(It's Deidara)**, Only Secret **(NejiTen gewd)**, lil-s3xy-gurl, I C E R E L L E, ahnigurL, Lady Light, Dark Knight Dreamer **(yep, OC she is, young Padawancoughgenin)**, CrAzY-sILLy-Me,** **koa-chan, Suki dah Turdle, kanan com, 2supersmart, Pink-Kunoichi-16, animemistress419, sweetmaiden, Sakura's Hope, Dust-in, Sour Corn With Golden Marshmellows, Mimuru-Sama, silverkage-chan, Oukaru Hanako, Aurora Maryte, stardust113, Kunoichibrat, Silver Warrior, Crystal Koneko, MyLittleCougarPaws, Zen-san, deidaraiscute29, Lyzz2nwn, Firefly-the-Wolf...** and all those people who make my ego grow bigger!

Time for ego-tripping! Let see. I got **49** reviews, which is a lot considering this is a touchy chapter. But technically, talking of this chapter, I got **50** reviews, because **Drake-Azaroth **reviewed in chap 1 since the review was long. (Eyes bulge out.) Whoa, you love me! You really love me!

All right, stats. People who said they were okay with my OC: 17. People who told me nukenin: 11. People who weren't okay with my OC: 1. I wanted to make this stats list coz it was surprising. I never imagined a lot of you guys wanted to tell me it's nukenin. Thanks much! I thought I'd get flames, but the person who said no said it in a polite manner, so that's okay. The number of reviews was also surprising since I thought you guys would hate me for having an OC. Turns out, this is the chapter with the most reviews! Tsk, tsk. Impressive.

Because of that, I will give you... those little Naruto onigiri Hinata made in that one filler episode! Naruto recommends Hinata-chan's cooking (since he said in that ep he liked it). Yes, I am one of those poor losers who kept watching the fillers.

Again, there is no action, but there is some sure SasuSaku angst. There will be not much fluff with them in this epic. We can save all the tooth-aching fluff for _The Marshmallow Collection_. Yeah. But there will be some small NaruHina interaction. Because of all the fillers the Naruto anime has been showing, I'm drawing closer to NaruHina even more.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Verdict – A Reason to Live

* * *

**

Naruto slurped down his food noisily. "MAH!" he said, smacking his lips noisily. "It's good to be home with your ramen, Gramps, Ayame-nechan! Did you know, Gramps, at one of the villages they had a ramen shop, but it wasn't as good as this! This is the reason why I love coming home!" Naruto turned to Hinata. "Do you think the others are nearly home?"

"W-we had about two hours' head start, N-naruto-kun," she replied. "Th-they'll be home in an hour or so, I think."

"Great!" Naruto said joyfully. "We have another hour to wait around till the debriefing. Ayame-nechan, another round of ramen, please!" He peered at Hinata's bowl. "Still on your first bowl, Hinata-chan? I'm on my third."

"Ne, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked tentatively.

"Yeah, Hinata-chan?" Naruto replied, as he slurped on his noodles.

Hinata knew she was about to touch on a sensitive issue, so the blue-haired kunoichi decided to tread lightly. "W-what do y-you think S-Sasuke-san's reaction will be o-once he sets f-foot on Konoha?"

Naruto stopped eating so abruptly that Hinata wondered he didn't choke. He fell quiet, and Hinata patiently waited for a response. "Well," he finally said, "I think he'll blow his top or something. He hasn't been here for a long time, and looking at how he left it…" He fiddled with his chopsticks. "Whatever the case, coming in here after two and a half years will definitely mess up his head."

Hinata nodded sadly, but the melancholy air was broken when Naruto began to shovel ramen down energetically. "But you know what?" Naruto asked, his mouth full of ramen. Hinata looked up, and he swallowed. "I think we'll go back to being Team 7 after all this is through!" Hinata's eyes widened at his faith in his team.

She was about to mention how great this was when someone cleared their throat behind them. They turned slowly and guiltily. "Uzumaki, Hyuuga-san," a medic said, "Tsunade-sama is looking for you."

Hinata and Naruto looked at each other in askance. Then Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged her away. "_RUN!_"

* * *

Tsunade looked down on Sakura's unconscious form and sighed. "What have you gotten yourself in, Sakura?" 

Naruto had told her (accompanied with exaggerated arm movements and facial expressions) about how Sakura had heroically (and idiotically, Tsunade thought now) jumped in and saved Sasuke from his brother's attack. She was now affected with the same condition as Sasuke had been the first time Tsunade had seen him. None but she could heal this psychological wound. _But this will leave some scars in her mind_, the Hokage thought as she put a hand on her student's wide forehead affectionately. _Hopefully they leave her stronger and more resistant to attacks on the mind such as this one._

She focused on chakra into her hand and began healing her student. Shizune hovered at her shoulder. "She'll be all right, won't she, Tsunade-sama?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes," Tsunade said. "But Shizune, I have to ask you a favor. She'll wake up in a few hours, and no doubt she'll want to look for Sasuke and Naruto. I want you to restrain her for three days. In no way should she be straining herself."

"Shouldn't Naruto-kun be here as well?" Shizune asked. "And Hinata too?"

"Naruto ran away with Hinata, but I've sent medics to look for them," Tsunade said, scowling. "Before the debriefing I'm going to put _everyone_ into the hospital's care. Under threat of losing their shinobi status, of course."

Shizune cringed as Tsunade finished up. "Whoa, that's harsh, Tsunade-sama."

"It is, isn't it?" Tsunade said gleefully. "Well, Sakura looks better now. Remember what I told you about restraining her, though, Shizune. You'll have to act as her attending medic. Remind her often that she's a medic herself and she has to be in tiptop shape to serve under this hospital and under me," she added as the door swung open.

"Tsunade-sama!" a medic said, poking his head in. "I've been sent to tell you that Kakashi-san has made contact with the rest of Team Neji and will be arriving in about an hour since the message was sent an hour ago."

"I see," Tsunade said, nodding. "What of Naruto and Hinata?"

A loud, raucous voice echoing in the hall outside Sakura's room answered her question. "I _told_ you! Ramen's good enough to heal us! Come on, let me go! You didn't tie Hinata-chan up, but you tied _me_ up! Let me go!"

Tsunade stuck her head out of the door and yelled, "You dragged her into this! _You're_ the mastermind! That's why _you're_ restrained!" She put her head back in, cursing under her breath. Shizune grimaced, but she turned for the door. "So Shizune, remember what I told you. Stay here until she wakes up, and give her my orders." With that, she closed the door softly behind her, presumably to force medical treatment on Naruto.

Shizune nodded and was left to ponder the depths to which the Hokage would sink to get her soldiers in great shape. She looked over at Sakura's sleeping form. Awhile ago, before Tsunade had began healing her, her brow had been knitted, like she was experiencing some nightmare. Now, Sakura looked more peaceful.

_But the next few weeks will probably stress her out_, the dark-haired woman predicted. _She's in too deep in this issue with Uchiha Sasuke._ Like her mentor, she put a cool hand on Sakura's forehead, caressing it gently. _I know for a fact how hard you worked for this to happen, Sakura. I just hope your efforts were worth it.

* * *

_

Team Neji, Sasuke, and Kakashi traveled the last few miles to Konoha in complete silence. No one felt the want to break it. Even Ino, the most talkative, couldn't break the utter quiet. Since Kakashi had appeared, Sasuke had looked as though he might want to run away from Konoha again. Ino didn't know if it was because seeing his old mentor made him feel shameful it hurt his arrogant head, or because Kakashi gave him what looked like the silent treatment.

She remembered how Kakashi got there. He had smiled cheerfully from behind his mask and replied to Neji's question. "_Tsunade-sama asked me to meet up with you guys. Since we are bringing in a high-profile prisoner, there'll be a few protocols to follow._ _We'll enter the South Gate, where less people pass, since we don't want to cause a ruckus since everyone knows what happened to Sasuke, with all the gossips in Konoha, aside from his fame as an Uchiha._" He smiled at Sasuke again, who glared at him so forcefully that _Ino_ cowered. "_Tsunade-sama says you're all to go to the hospital before the debriefing. She'll put you all out of service if you don't since she'll deem you unable to serve because of physical disabilities._"

Ino could remember everyone's groans clearly. They knew how extreme Tsunade could get regarding everyone's health. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kiba said, "The South Gate's in sight, everyone!" Everyone began to perk up at once, except for Kakashi and Sasuke. The son of the White Fang eyed Sasuke interestedly. Sure enough, the Uchiha's facial expression changed into something that was a mixture of apprehension and anger. Kakashi shook his head. The boy didn't know how to feel anything without anger.

Soon, they were descending the hill that lead to the South Gate, and in a surreal blur, showing their identifications, and passing through the gates of Konoha. Everyone felt the significance of this, furtively casting Sasuke a glance.

The avenger was home.

* * *

The Konoha hospital was humdrum until the rest of Team Neji and their prisoner entered the vicinity. Suddenly, everyone was busy, healing and dressing wounds that Hinata had given first aid to. Sasuke had been put in a room separate from the others, guarded by ANBU. He had been attended to, and now he was only waiting to be called for his hearing. In a cruel twist of fate, his room's window was situated where he could clearly see where he had left without as much as a goodbye. 

The bench where he had laid Sakura was physically empty, but it was full of memories he couldn't really tell were painful or not. Awhile ago, he had passed by this bench, and it was almost as though time stopped when he remembered the manner he had left Sakura there.

_"Don't leave! If you leave, I'll scream and-" _

_ "…Sakura. Thank you." _

He tried to look away from the bench, but he couldn't. Why did he thank Sakura back then? Why was it oddly significant for him that she was the one who saw him leave Konoha? And why, upon remembering her tear-streaked face, pale and unconscious as he lay her down on that bench, did he feel a smidgen of guilt?

He supposed Kakashi was one of the reasons for this. They had entered Konoha awhile ago, and Kakashi, most annoyingly, decided to walk beside him. It seemed the rest of the team thought it was better they had nothing to do with them, and separated from the two.

_"What do you want, Kakashi?_" he had said in an irritable tone.

_"Doesn't that bench give you memories, Sasuke?_" Kakashi had murmured, his lone eye both sad and shrewd. "_Memories of a girl you betrayed?_" He had said nothing. Why was Kakashi taking the time to give him the guilt trip? Whatever happened, he could happily blame Kakashi for the twisting of his stomach every time he caught sight of _that_ bench.

"Uchiha," an ANBU said, his masked face appearing at the door, "get out. We'll escort you to Tsunade-sama's office for the mission debriefing and your hearing."

He grunted and slid off the bed. Whatever was coming now, he had to forget _completely_ about that bench.

* * *

Tsunade regarded all who had assembled in her office with a shrewd eye. "Hyuuga Neji," she said sharply, and Neji stood up a little straighter. "Report." 

Neji skimmed through the details of the mission in a short but concise manner, and talked of everyone's point of view when they had gotten separated. He related how they had lost the first time, and about Sakura's insubordination when she chased Sasuke without permission. Tsunade's face became more and more amused as Neji reported about how they were separated from Sakura and Naruto, and how they had defeated Kabuto and the Sound nins under him. Then Naruto, with his boisterous storytelling, told her how they had fought Sasuke, and how the curse seal had fluctuated.

Afterwards, Neji took over again, talking about the fight with Itachi and Kisame. The amused look on Tsunade's face was replaced by scowl that got deeper and deeper as Neji described their side of the fight. When Naruto described theirs, Tsunade was close to cursing, but thought better of it, only nodding once. With that, the debriefing was over.

She shifted in her seat to look at Sasuke. "So." Her eyes narrowed, and he met them with animosity. "_So_."

It was tempting for Sasuke to say "So what?" but he was already in deep trouble with this frightening woman. He bit his tongue to prevent himself. Tsunade stared at him sternly, as though contemplating the ways she could humiliate him publicly before executing him. Team Neji watched her with growing confusion as she muttered under her breath.

"Well!" Tsunade exclaimed, and everyone jumped. "As much as I would like to have you fed to the Inuzuka clan's wolf dogs-" (everyone cringed) "-I haven't overlooked the fact you could be useful against Itachi, from what I've heard. Besides," she added, "Naruto and Sakura would see to it that you aren't to be executed without a trial, and that's the main reason why I'll keep you alive for a week, enough for you to prepare your answers when you are tried. Be thankful your old teammates are big with me, or your head would've become a chew toy for the wolf dogs."

The room was quiet, and Tsunade waited for a reaction. Finally, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata let out great sighs of relief, the Yamanaka telling Tenten, "Wait till I tell Sakura-chan!" Soon, the people in the room released their tension.

"Good luck," Lee said to Sasuke patting his back, who kept quiet, his eyes only on one person.

"Well," Naruto said, meeting his eye, "Sakura-chan will be relieved to hear of this, and she'll probably visit you. But if I've heard you hurt her again, I'll-"

"So!" Tsunade exclaimed again, and everyone shut up. "Uchiha Sasuke, you'll be kept in the Konoha Correctional Facility, and your tenketsu will remain closed. You will be kept under guard until your trial. Your visitors will be limited to me, Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto, and for an hour each day only. That's all for now. Take him away."

* * *

It was sort of a good thing Sasuke was used to staring in space, meditating about his revenge. If he wasn't, he'd have been bored just staying in the small cell they'd assigned him. It wasn't usual, but he was worried over his fate. What if Tsunade _did_ decide to execute him? What if he was forgiven, but kept under ANBU surveillance all day long, or worse, have his shinobi status taken away from him? _Death would be better,_ he thought. If he was expected to be a good boy and remain in Konoha, not doing anything the rest of his life, then he would run away and never make the mistake of succumbing to Sakura or Naruto again. 

His train of thought was broken when at about ten in the morning he heard footsteps coming towards him. He wondered at this – Naruto had stayed away from him the past three days, and Kakashi had come once, luckily not to lecture him, but to check on him on Tsunade's orders. He had mentioned Sakura might drop by once she was released. He hoped she wouldn't, since she would only make him feel worse than ever with her endless fangirling. But before he could begin a monologue on how much it would suck for her to fuss over him, he heard voices outside his cell.

"Of course I have a permit," a voice, painfully (and happily) familiar to him, said indignantly. "See?"

"All right, all right," the ANBU assigned to him said. "You can see him. You have one hour." Sasuke heard the sliding window on his cell door open. "Uchiha, Haruno-san is here to see you."

_I knew it_, Sasuke said to himself as he listened to locks being undone and sealing tags being carefully ripped away. The door slid open, and the dim hall lights flooded his cell. Sakura entered the cell with a box wrapped in a kerchief, and a small basket of something, in her hands. Sasuke pulled an irritated face. "What do you want?" Sakura didn't blink.

"I thought about prison food," she said cheerfully. "It must be gross, right? So I brought you some stuff I made back home, and some fresh tomatoes I bought back at the market." She held out the basket for emphasis.

Sasuke chose that time to cruelly say, "No apples this time?"

Sakura's eye twitched, but she chose to ignore the comment. But it couldn't have been clearer that they were about to begin another battle – the battle of closing the emotional gap between them. The challenge was presented.

Sakura sat down in front of him and quietly lay the food down between them. She opened the bento (1), and immediately, the enticing scent of _good_ food tickled Sasuke's senses. Shrimp tempura, sushi, onigiri, and a small brownie lay on the bento. Sakura prepared the tomatoes for him. After which, it was laid out in front of Sasuke. "Eat up," Sakura said with a cheerful smile, however wary, breaking open a pair of chopsticks and laying them on the bento.

Sasuke eyed the scrumptious feast in front of him and swallowed. Then he upturned his nose. "I'm not eating that."

"I'm not leaving till you eat that all," Sakura said just as stubbornly.

"Visiting time's only an hour," Sasuke shot back.

"I'm not leaving until visiting time is over," Sakura amended with a glare.

They sat there, glaring, daring each other to make a move. Sasuke was tempted to eat, but he had a lot of pride. Sakura calmly waited for him to touch the bento. "Fuuton: Kokyu no Ryu no Jutsu (2)," she whispered, blowing hot steam out of her mouth and onto the bento, keeping it warm. She was willing to resort to anything to get him to eat.

The hour wore on, and Sasuke was getting increasingly hungry from just the smells. His swallowing became more frequent as his saliva production became faster. _I'm not hungry_, he tried to convince himself. _I don't need Sakura's pity._

"I wanted to give you a meal earlier," Sakura said after a while. "But I wasn't released from the hospital until evening yesterday. So I wasn't able to cook you anything until this morning."

"I don't need your pity, Sakura," Sasuke replied coldly.

"I don't pity you," Sakura said dispassionately. "I just care about you so much that I hate myself for it."

"Then stop caring for me," Sasuke replied, "so you'd stop hating yourself."

"I'd hate myself even more if I do."

Sasuke couldn't reply to this. Most thankfully, the ANBU outside said after a few more minutes of awkward silence, "Haruno-san, it's time to go." Sakura gave the door a dirty look as though it had been rude to her.

Then she turned to him with a forced smile. "I'll be back to take the containers back," she said, standing up to go.

She was almost to the door when Sasuke said, "Aren't you forgetting the food?"

"Nonsense," she said briskly as she opened the door. "I made that for you. If you're not going to eat that, it's going to rot and stink up your cell. I'll be back to give you another bento and another batch of tomatoes tomorrow." Without waiting for an answer, she slammed the door back with such force it drove into its wedge an inch deeper than it should.

Sasuke glared at the door. Then he looked at the food, still steamy hot since Sakura had done the steam-producing jutsu every fifteen minutes. His gaze on it was almost enough to keep it warmer still.

The smell was too much to bear. Cursing his manacles for allowing him to use both hands to eat, he snarfed down the bento without wasting another breath.

* * *

As Sakura had said, she was there the next day at ten o' clock. She entered, greeting him with a soft "Hey," and he said "Hey" back, not daring to look at her in the eye as she spotted the empty bento in one corner of the cell, together with the basket, where he had thrown it in a frustrated fit after he ate Sakura's home-cooked meal. 

He looked up in time to see her delight when she picked up the containers. "I'm glad to see you swallowed your pride along with the food I brought you," she said brightly. Sasuke mumbled something incoherent under his breath, but Sakura was too cheerful to notice. Instead, she sat down in front of him again and set down another batch of food.

He gave her a tentative look, and as he looked at her happy, expectant face, he felt surer she wasn't going to rub it into his face, and took the chopsticks she offered and calmly ate the food she brought him. She was right, as the meaty taste of the pork dumpling melted in his mouth – prison food tasted like crap compared to this.

She watched him as he ate, her sunshiny cheer increasing in intensity. "I woke up extra early to prepare that," she said happily. "I burnt myself twice, but it wasn't anything my healing couldn't take." She launched on a small speech about how she prepared his meal, and as she described each toil she took to make it, Sasuke found himself actually listening.

"So," Sasuke asked quietly, "you trained, all these years, under the Hokage?"

"Yeah, I did," Sakura said cheerfully. "It was hard, but I don't really care! As long as I can be up to scratch, then I don't care how much training I still need to catch up to everyone!"

"You don't have to catch up anymore," Sasuke muttered.

"My goal is to somehow surpass Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said. "Only then can I say I've become strong. It's really lucky I already have naturally good chakra control, since I'm a genjutsu type. If I hadn't-"

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you since that fight with that man, relating to genjutsu," Sasuke interrupted, and Sakura knew immediately who he was talking about. "How did you break out of the Tsukuyomi?"

Sakura wasn't expecting this. But she described it slowly, talking of being trapped in her worst memories, never seeing the end of each one. Sasuke swallowed. He knew the feeling. "But…" she added, and he was surprised to hear a hopeful note in her voice, "something came to help me. It was like another me – a kind of… different minded me. She was kind of my fighting spirit, and my Inner Sakura fought off each memory by telling me to think of what happened that made the memory _good_, like the reason it happened, or whatever happened next."

Sakura's voice and face became a little more subdued. "Then… there was one memory I couldn't fight off, that my other self couldn't fight off, because I couldn't see the good in that memory. It was the worst memory of all." Sakura looked at him long and hard, as though debating whether to tell him or not. "I'm not sure how this will go by you, but the memory that gave me the most trouble was the one where you knocked me out and left me on that bench."

To Sasuke, it was like time stopped once more as he remembered that bench and his hasty farewell again – if it could be called a farewell. He swallowed the lump in his throat as Sakura waited calmly for his reaction. "S-so," he replied, his voice a little raspy, "how did you beat it?"

"Simple to say, yet so hard to do," Sakura replied. "I tried hard to remember about how I trained, and how we managed to get you back. And I thought of this moment, the moment I would finally be able to talk to you within the walls of Konoha. I always hoped, you know. That was what kept me going all these years, and it saved me from being consumed by the pain of that memory."

They were silent once more, and Sasuke picked at his food. Suddenly, he didn't feel like eating anymore, but he needed to do something with his hands, so he chose to eat more. "Now, I'll ask _you_ a question," she said in a business-like manner. She cocked her head to the side. "Why did you thank me that time?"

Sasuke stared at her. His face was the picture of bewilderment as he searched himself for an answer. Her expression was curious, but from the way she was wringing her fingers, she was nervous. This was one issue they had to settle.

"I don't really know why, Sakura," he said quietly, putting down the bento and staring on the floor. "It was… the spur of the moment. I felt like doing so."

"But why?" Sakura asked, her green eyes almost pleading. "There must be a reason. Did it mean anything, or was it for lack of anything to say?" They locked gazes, but soon he wrenched his eyes away from hers as he worded his answer.

"I guess I thanked you because… you were willing to throw your life away for me. I'd never heard of anyone who cared that much, since my clan died. I was so used to people liking me because I was popular, never because, well, I was me. I often thought that you only liked my popularity. But you knew what happened to me. You knew how I treated you. But you were so annoying, so persistent. You cared too much for someone who pushed you away."

"Haruno-san, it's time to leave," the ANBU outside said.

Sakura didn't take heed and stared at Sasuke, processing what he said. He never said as much as that to her very often, and as she tried to get over the number of words, she tried to think of what he had said with increasing pressure in her head. "So… it was because… you finally sensed that the – the care I always showed you was genuine?"

"Haruno-san," the ANBU now said, sticking his head into the cell, "I will be forced to remove you physically if you don't come out now. The Hokage has been very strict about visiting ti-"

"All right, all right, I'm coming," Sakura said impatiently, gathering the empty containers and throwing one last look at Sasuke. When he didn't answer her question, she knew they were done for the day and slid the door softly shut.

* * *

Sasuke waited for ten o'clock in the morning the next day, the day before his trial. His stomach was doing flip flops. He had that bad feeling Sakura would continue their conversation from the day before. With increasing anxiety coupled with expectancy, he waited for Sakura to come. 

Soon enough, he heard footsteps out on the hallway, but something was different about them. They weren't Sakura's usual footsteps, but they were heading his way. The footsteps were familiar, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

He cringed when a loud voice said to the ANBU guarding him, "Yeah I have a permit! Now let me in!"

Naruto sidled in, and Sasuke felt let down, as well as annoyed with himself for actually hoping Sakura would come. "What do you want, freaking idiot? If you're here to lecture me-"

"Aw, pipe down, teme," Naruto said, glaring at him. "I've given you the "loyalty and friendship" speech when we fought back then. No, Sakura-chan's on duty at the hospital and asked me to bring me your food." He stuck out his tongue. "But honestly speaking, you don't deserve it." He unwrapped the bento and took a bite on the chicken dumpling.

"That's _mine_, freaking idiot," Sasuke said dangerously. "Give that back or-"

"Or what?" Naruto asked, swallowing the rest of the dumpling. "You'll glare at me until I melt? Feh, as if!" Before Sasuke could reply, the blond jinchuuriki sat in front of him and set the food in front of him. Without wasting any more time, Sasuke started eating, lest Naruto take another bite out of his meal.

Naruto watched him. "Oh, yeah, I gotta tell you too – Tsunade no baachan told me you had better think of your answers for tomorrow." They exchanged darkly significant looks, and Sasuke began to feel a little nervous again. "I agree with her completely, too. I mean, it's your last chance, so you had better answer her questions right. I hate to admit it, Sasuke, but I know I'm going to feel as bad as Sakura-chan if you weren't allowed to be part of Team 7-"

"Would you shut up about Team 7 already?" Sasuke hissed, giving Naruto another death glare. "It's _dead_. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I don't care if we don't come back as a team anymore – my revenge is the most important thing to me right now. What happens to Team 7 isn't my-"

"Stop acting as if you're the only person in the world who has a big problem, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled. "News flash – I have problems too, and Sakura-chan too. The Akatsuki's after me, I have to become Hokage, and Sakura-chan wants to catch up to us so she's training hard! This world doesn't revolve around you, so stop acting like it does!

"Sakura-chan and I know what happened to you, and we're trying hard, both of us, to help you fulfill your goals, but you! Are you doing anything to help _us_ at all? We both know the world doesn't revolve only around us either, so that's why we're helping you as our teammate even if you don't believe we're a team anymore!"

Naruto knew he was babbling, but he had to get the idea into Sasuke's head before the next day. He restrained himself from using his fists. Sasuke wasn't even responding, only sending him a blank look. "Dammit, Sasuke, I wish you'd say something!" he barked. "You're just an unfeeling bastard, aren't you?"

He needed to get out of the room before he lost self-control again. Without waiting anymore, he walked out the cell and slammed the sliding door shut. Sasuke never said anything more, only staring at Naruto's wake.

* * *

And finally, it was the big day. At Hyuuga household, Hyuuga Hiashi and Neji finished their morning training. Soon enough, both Hyuugas heard the chiming of the clock, signaling it was eight o'clock. As if on cue, Hinata walked into the courtyard. "Neji-niisan," she called as Neji took in deep breaths. The older Hyuuga turned. "It's nearly time." 

Neji nodded. They had been invited, as part of the retrieval team, to watch Uchiha Sasuke's trial and offer their points of view. It was a date that not only he and Hinata, but also Hiashi, anticipated. "Hopefully Uchiha gets what he deserves," the Hyuuga partriarch said.

"What do _you_ think he deserves, Chichiue?" Hinata asked softly.

Hiashi thought for a moment. Then he said, "The betrayal of one's village is a grave offense, but as the leader of a clan, I know it's also serious if he betrays the clan he's sworn to avenge. However, he's gone about it the wrong way. Considering he's a talented shinobi, and the man he needs to kill is a major enemy of the village, he deserves to be kept by the village as a shinobi, but not without consequences. A year's probation, maybe, would be just."

Neji nodded. "I suppose he does deserve that. But… that really depends on what he answers to the questions later." He beckoned to Hinata. "Come on, Hinata-sama. The trial starts at eight-thirty. We don't want to be late."

* * *

The Hokage, her two advisors, and several other village elders filed into the room. Already there, waiting, was Team Neji, a few ANBU guards, Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Jiraiya, Shizune, and the accused, Uchiha Sasuke. He was looking at his shoes, deadpan, while the room buzzed with murmured conversation. 

The Fifth glanced at the clock in the room, then cleared her throat. The buzzing stopped, and all attention was directed to her. "We're gathered here today to decide upon the future of Uchiha Sasuke," Tsunade said without further ado. "We (that is, the council) will take turns asking Uchiha Sasuke questions that will determine his sentence."

A woman they recognized as the late Sandaime's old teammate stood up. "Sasuke, can you tell us of your activities with Orochimaru, particularly wherein you took part in missions?"

Sasuke's answer was immediate. "I trained. I learned new jutsus. He didn't give me any missions since that would compromise my life. The most that I had to do with the outside world was when Orochimaru had to go somewhere. He wanted me under his or Kabuto's eye at all times."

"So you didn't _kill_ anyone, or hurt anyone aside from those who have been sent in the two retrieval missions?"

Sasuke shook his head curtly. Sakura and Naruto, who had been holding their breaths, sighed in relief. It would've almost been comical if the atmosphere wasn't so tense. Another elder stood up. "Sasuke, were you aware of what Orochimaru was planning to do with you?"

"I was," Sasuke replied. "But our bargain was that he let me kill Itachi first."

"If you hadn't been retrieved and if you hadn't managed yet to kill Uchiha Itachi within the time period he was to stay in his current body, would you have turned against Orochimaru, if he wanted to take over your body right then?"

"My revenge is of utmost importance," Sasuke answered quietly. "I would've, because of our bargain."

Kakashi raised his hand, and everyone turned to him. "If I may, Godaime-sama," Kakashi glanced at Tsunade, who nodded, "I'll ask you, Sasuke, if you remember what you told me the first day I met with you and your old teammates." Sasuke nodded. "Yes. You said you wanted to kill a certain man, and restore your clan. How were you going to restore your clan if Orochimaru took over your body directly after you defeat Itachi?"

This was Sasuke's first test. He glanced away. "I didn't think of that when I agreed to Orochimaru's bargain. Like I said, my revenge is of utmost importance. I didn't think restoring my clan was as important."

"Yet you mentioned that was one of your goals. Wouldn't it be a betrayal of your clan if you also caused it to die out?"

This time, Sasuke threw a cold look at Kakashi. "I'd never betray them. Better I betray two villages than my own clan."

There were murmurs after his statement. Sakura and Naruto saw some elders nodding to each other, others shaking their heads. Tsunade, however, remained impassive, her fingers laced together. "I hope they didn't take that the wrong way," Sakura said, and Naruto agreed completely.

The Sandaime's other teammate stood up. "What sort of jutsus has Orochimaru been teaching you, Sasuke?"

"Snake summoning jutsus," Sasuke replied. "A bit of taijutsu, some sealing jutsus, and genjutsu dispelling." He eyed the council. "He never taught me how to experiment with bodies, if that's what you're afraid of."

The elders looked a little surprised, and some were now looking on approvingly. However, some still looked cynical. The questioning continued, some about the level of jutsus he was taught, some about the activities of the Sound nins (Sasuke claimed never to have heard any plots, since Orochimaru saw the possibility of Sasuke turning against him), and so on and so forth. After thirty minutes of rigorous cross-examination, the spectators saw more elders turning their favor to Sasuke. But Tsunade had not asked anything yet.

Naruto smiled at Sakura, who bit her nails nervously. "Looks like more of them think Sasuke deserves a second chance," he said. "But hopefully he doesn't get away without some punishment," he added, and she laughed uneasily.

One of the more skeptical looking ones stood up. "Did Orochimaru ever encourage you to do anything against ethics, like murder indiscriminately, torture other people, or create morally unsound jutsus?"

This was the second test. Sasuke looked at the questioner steadily. "He _did_ encourage me, saying the weak were meant to be used by the strong, but my mind was – _is_ – solely on my revenge. I don't have time for such stupidity."

Some of the elders were actually smiling now, and the questioner looked satisfied. Sakura heard one say to another, "At least we know he's not turning into an absolute clone of Orochimaru. The Legendary Sannin's fates have not been completely reflected on Kakashi's team."

The questioning carried on, even more on the activities of Orochimaru and Kabuto in their labs. Sasuke's answers seemed to match everything they had ever heard about the Snake Sannin. But as the Uchiha continued to answer, Naruto's frown became increasingly deeper, and Sakura noticed. "What's up?" she asked.

"He always says that the reason he did this and that is because of his revenge," Naruto muttered, irritated. "Doesn't the guy have anything in mind besides that?"

"I suppose it's what he's been living for since that day," Sakura replied softly, watching Sasuke answer the questions.

"But why can't he do anything besides stuff that has to do with revenge?" Naruto asked. "Why can't he do things just because? Or because of the village and the people who have the guts to care about him?"

Sakura stared at the seething blond. "I guess you have a point," she murmured, looking at her lap.

The questioning continued, and Shizune, who was taking notes, glanced at the clock. _It's been almost an hour. The trial is taking so much time._ The questions had become mundane now, and were becoming repeated. Tsunade still had not said a word. The council was now impatient as to her decision. "Tsunade-hime," one said, "will you say anything?"

The Hokage stared over her hands at Sasuke with narrowed hazel eyes. "I have a question, and, when I'm satisfied with you answer, we will make a final decision as to the verdict." Tsunade put her hands down and leant forward. Sasuke looked down on his feet. "Sasuke," she said sharply, and he snapped his head up.

"If you were given a chance to save yourself, Uchiha Sasuke, I know you would. But give me a reason why."

There was no face in the room that wasn't surprised, save for Tsunade's. Naruto stared at her with mouth agog, and Sakura's green eyes were wider than before. But as they drew onto Sasuke, she noticed he seemed to be carefully wording his answer. For his sake, she hoped he would answer right. This was his third and final test.

"He'll say things about his revenge," Naruto said from her side. She looked at him, but he never took his eyes from Sasuke. "It's always what it's about, isn't it? He doesn't care about anything except-"

Several people hushed him as Sasuke started to speak. "I would, because if I didn't, that would be giving up too easily. I still have my revenge to think about."

"But you ran away from this village to get stronger for your revenge," Tsunade said. "How will you continue getting stronger if you think you can't get strong here?"

Sasuke paused for a while, and to Naruto and Sakura's surprise, he glanced at them before replying. "If the people I thought were weaker than me got stronger in this village, then there's a big possibility I could too. And," he looked down again, "I suppose, if they helped me in getting closer to victory with Uchiha Itachi before, then they could probably help me get stronger to completely take him down. They're… important. And as weak as they are, they probably need my help to get to their goals."

Now this was ego-crushing time for Sasuke, and his two friends knew it. Both knew the "they" Sasuke spoke of. Naruto's cerulean pools widened, and Sakura had begun smiling. There was a faint trace of a smirk on Sasuke's face.

Tsunade was still expressionless as she nodded. "The council will then hold a closed doors meeting as to the verdict. All must issue out of the room. We'll call you in after one hour."

* * *

Naruto couldn't believe an hour could last so long, as he paced the floor where they were told to wait. "Stay put, Naruto," Sakura said feebly, a little green. 

"I can't help it, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied, going back and forth. "It's like… I dunno, waiting for an explosion."

"I guess it _does_ make you feel jittery," Sakura admitted. She wrung her fingers. "I think my breakfast wants to come back up." She glanced at the others, who were way calmer than she and Naruto were. "It was rather good he acknowledged that we got better, right? He said we could help him. I wonder what he ate to make himself say that."

"He ate your food," Naruto joked, giving her a nervous grin. She laughed weakly. "But seriously, I suppose I got through him yesterday. I told him he had better put himself to good use, or else."

There was a long silence as Naruto paced the floor. Sakura stared over at the glass that separated everyone from Sasuke and the ANBU. He was staring at his hands again, apparently contemplating what happened back at the trial. She smiled. He had sacrificed a big chunk of pride then, but it was also for his sake as well as theirs. He probably knew they could never live it down if the success of his trial went down the drain.

He caught her eye, and held her gaze for a second. She smiled at him, and he quickly looked away.

Finally, after one of the longest hours in their lives, they were all called back in. Naruto tried to catch a glimpse of the faces of the elders and Tsunade, but all of them were unreadable. Had it gone well or not?

Everyone sat back down and gazed attentively at Tsunade. There was no need to call for silence as everyone was all ears. Sakura crossed her fingers and her toes, while Naruto was muttering under his breath. "Come on, baachan, give us something good…"

"This council has talked it over, and we have come to a decision regarding Uchiha Sasuke's case," Tsunade began. There was utter silence so that a pin drop could be heard. "Sasuke betrayed Konoha by leaving without permission, going with the village's known enemy, and letting said enemy's underlings hurt his peers." Naruto cringed, but Sakura was waiting for the "but."

"But-" (Sakura beamed at this) "-we also acquiesce that Sasuke proved some very good points to us, that he has not learned Orochimaru's cruelty and unethical actions. He has also made it clear he would like to repent for betraying the village two and a half years ago."

_Don't say "but" anymore, don't say "but" anymore…_

"But-" (this time, Sakura cringed) "punishment is still well deserved. The restoration of the honor of one's clan is not an excuse to betray one's village." Tsunade looked around at the audience gathered. Several people, including Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto, tensed. The teachers looked calmly on. "This is our verdict."

"Uchiha Sasuke, you have been accused and proven guilty with the charge of treason. But-" (Sakura brightened up again) "-you have also proved you are capable of rehabilitation. You are pardoned of all charges against you."

The atmosphere seemed to lighten as people sighed in relief. The elders and Tsunade smiled, but easily the happiest in the room were Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke's face was still etched with shock, but he was jolted out of it when Naruto yelled to him happily from across the room, "Wipe that surprised look off your face, Sasuke-teme! You're okay!"

Sakura laughed, and Sasuke calmed down, his mouth curling to a small smile. A small smile, in Sasuke's world, was equal to great elation. But Tsunade cleared her throat, and the place was silent once more. "_But-_" (Sakura's smile faltered, to be replaced by another worried look, but Naruto squeezed her hand reassuringly) "-we won't let this go without punishment. Sasuke will be placed under probation until he turns 18, and then the council will decide if he deserves to be out of the probation."

Sakura felt gloom settle around her, and the rest of Team Neji looked at her and Naruto a little worriedly. Sasuke bared his teeth in anger. Naruto suddenly stood up and yelled, "Tsunade-baachan-"

"Sit down, Naruto," the Fifth barked, her eyes glinting dangerously. He sat down grudgingly. "I'm not finished with his sentence." She turned her head back at Sasuke. "He will be allowed to take qualification exams, go on missions, and live freely. But he will be under constant surveillance. A team will be assigned to live with him and guard him 24/7. When he goes on missions, at least one member of this team will be present."

Sasuke felt angry. Why did he have to be babysat? He didn't want some team watching over him and telling him what to do. He felt lucky enough to be able to take exams and go on missions, since he was expecting something worse, but to have to do it under supervision felt invasive. He caught a glance of Sakura's disappointed face and Naruto's indignant expression, and thought, _At least they feel the same way._

But Tsunade opened her mouth again, indicating she wasn't finished.

"This team will be no other than Team Kakashi."

Sakura and Sasuke looked up quickly, and Naruto looked around, as though asking if it were true. Kiba, the nearest to him, smirked and said, "That's you guys, Naruto."

Sakura made a noise in between a shout and a laugh, and Naruto cried, "YATTA (3)!" He began jumping up and down, and nobody bothered to quiet him down. Sakura laughed and sobbed at the same time as they both felt great relief. At his pedestal, Sasuke shook his head, but that small smile was back on his face.

"So Team Kakashi, this is your mission for the next three years," Tsunade continued, and Naruto stopped jumping, although he was still grinning. Sakura looked up, smiling, and Kakashi smiled quietly. "You will live with Uchiha Sasuke and make sure he does not go astray again. Am I clear?"

The three of them nodded. "Of course, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi said, taking out his orange book from his pocket.

" Crystal clear, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said happily through relieved tears.

"OSSU(4)!" Naruto yelled, saluting the Slug Sannin, who smirked.

"Right," she boomed. "Dismissed!"

First out of the benches were Sakura and Naruto, who sprinted to Sasuke's stand, where he was being untied by the ANBU guards. He stared at them as them bound up to him, their faces shining with blinding joy. The first who got to him was Sakura, who instantly threw her arms around his neck. "Good work, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.

"Aa," he replied, his voice cracked. He had to admit – he was more relieved than he had ever been in a long while, so much that Sakura's boa-like grip was actually comfortable. She couldn't seem to stop giggling and sobbing at the same time. She let go of him, and they both turned to Naruto.

He seemed surprised that they wanted his opinion, but he smirked all the same. "Yeah, good you didn't mess up this time, teme. Looks like we'll be babysitting, Sakura-chan," he added to Sakura.

"Looks like it!" she chimed in. Sasuke glared at both of them, but they only laughed louder.

"Oi, oi," a voice said, and they turned to see Kakashi striding up to them, orange book in hand. He snapped it shut and looked at them sternly. "No consorting with the subject."

Sakura's smile faded into open-mouthed surprise, Sasuke scowled deeper, and Naruto cried, "_What?_"

Kakashi's lone eye curved up.

"You guys are so easy to get."

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Sakura: **I'm so glad that everything's fine for Sasuke-kun now! Now, we'll all live like one big happy family in the Uchiha Manor! Kakashi-sensei can be the perv uncle and Naruto can be the annoying kid and Sasuke-kun can be the daddy and I can be the mommy – _kya_! I mustn't think of such things!

Well, fangirling aside, I'm a little worried about Sasuke-kun and Naruto. They've been giving death glares at each other so much, and it's like I live in a cold battlefield, with all the cold insults and hot jutsus those two throw around. Are they ever going to make up?

And Shikamaru's told me something – the Chuunin Exams are coming again. But I'm not sure if I believe him. You know Shikamaru, he's never clear with anything… Better ask Tsunade-shishou…

Next chapter - _Reunited! Sakura in the Middle?_

_SHANNARO_, I am going to pound those two if they don't make up soon!

* * *

**AN:** (1) Boxed lunch 

(2) Wind Skill: Dragon's Breath Technique. Made up.

(3) Yahoo

(4) Yes sir (or ma'am, in this case)

Well, Sasuke's trial is over! What did I tell you? Of course you knew he would get off so easily! So, the next is a filler type of chapter, and a hint of the Chuunin Exams, which will take seven chapters. I hope you guys are still up for more – part 1 alone of this epic will take an astounding 40 chapters flat. And considering the length of the chapters I write… it could be almost as thick as Harry Potter Book 4 (which is the fattest of the lot).

I loved this chapter, and you'll notice the Hyuugas got their two cents in. Yes, I am currently in love with the Hyuugas. In fact, I made sure there was an entire filler arc dedicated to them in this epic. (Two chapters. Does that tell you _anything_?)

The mouse and the button that says "Go" to review are long lost lovers. Reunite them!


	12. Reunited! Sakura in the Middle?

**AN:** After a long almost three-month hiatus, guess who's baaack! Haha, it's the ever so genki, ever so bouncy Tenshi no Hana-chan! I can't believe I wasn't able to update! I guess I spent too much time having fun, then school started… but don't worry, that didn't mean I didn't write a guideline for this chapter!

In light of Chapter 312 of the manga, it seems to me I made a **huge **mistake when I created the character of the Nibi jinchuuriki, since it seems she has just appeared in the manga, and is obviously different from the Nibi jinchuuriki I envisioned (although I was right about her gender, hehe). So to reiterate it again, this fic will be **completely AU** beginning from **chapter 280 **of the manga. Nothing, I repeat, **nothing** is going to be said in the fic about Kishimoto's characters that conflict with my OCs.

Of course, you can tell me if you disagree. But thusly, I will officially declare this fic **future semi-AU**.

(Obviously, it has been a mistake to make an epic basing on manga chapters like this. But I just can't abandon my supporters from out of the blue. Your reviews feed me, yes precious.)

**Thankies to: Komo Pineconeseed, evilteddybear, Priestess kurumi inu's sister, kagomefaves, Deidara lover48, Green Animelover, notethesarcasm99** (should I be scared of your username? Hehe... She's a bit unsure of her inner self. How would you feel if suddenly another being is inside you? I think I would be pretty confused as to how to call it)**, butterfly120, jenny, lazybluishgurl013, mouseter, Yami Umi, deity of death1, player L, Suzerain **(no, I was thinking of how Sakura would see it.I think it's weird too)**, Chiyoko Sharingan, BloodySakuraLeaves, Cainan, warprince2000, 55Itachi88,Tsumii **(no, the fangirlism was for humor purposes - this chapter's a bit of a light chapter)**, Citree, Jack Inqu **(you'll get a lot of Sakura kicking alpha-male butt in this chap)**, YoungSasuke, Deidaraiscute29, the raven girl, Tellemicus Sundance, Hinata-hime, Zen-san, starwishes, Yukari Rin, Oukaru Hanako, Dust-in, Stonebridge, Celestartial Blossoms, Queen Cow and Steak, icygirl2, nekoofdeath, soysauce-jr, Piper,TC, animemistress419, Drake-Azathoth **(Again, Drake-san, you made my day with that detailed review. Thank you!)**, Psycho King, Toxic-Neon, So-kun, Silver Warrior, cutie.mi., uchihasakura4 **(Wow, you like this that much? Thanks!)**, LonelyFishy, random eggy** (eep! I know you! From the SasuSaku forums, I think! Thanks for reviewing!)**, Lyzz2nwn **(thanks for that long and amusing review! It brightened up my day!)**, silverkage-chan, Jewny, NerfHerder101, Angelism DNA, sharingan1**(for now, there won't be any of the other characters other than Team 7, because the Chuunin Exam is kinda a Team 7 thing)**, Winter-Tenshi, SoulShine, BloodHeron, Dragon Man 180 **(you know, I wrote a filler arc just like that for this epic. Are you psychic?)**, bahamut9999** (you'll see how... in the future...)**, Redcloudangel, crakbaby23, Ennariel, Jays Arravan, Crystal Koneko, jennyz, Denisen, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, Mistress DragonFlame **(I wanted to put some of the "underwear" thing in this chap, but it wouldn't fit. Gotta file that idea for the future)**, BlackFeatherz29, Firefly-the-Wolf **(of course he was joking! Hehe)**, Only Secret **(I thought it would be possible in the anime that Team 7 would be the one guarding Sasuke, so yeah)**, Insane but Happy, Mimiru-Sama, sweetmaiden, Suki dah Turdle, Uzamaki-Girl, Shioan **(Please, Shioan-san, that's too much of a compliment!)**, Sexy.Black.Neko, PrincessChii, loVeFoReTeRnItY **(Itachi will reappear in the Jounin Exam arc, but he won't be that active, he'll be there to observe)**, lil-s3xy-gurl, koa-chan, kyaneos**... and everyone who read!

o.O Whoa. 86 reviews. I have broken my all-time record. Words cannot express how much I'm surprised, and I'm a writer. (Maybe it's because I haven't updated in quite a while.)

In this chapter, we'll see Sakura trying to live with bachelors. Ha. What a job _that's_ going to be. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Not much action, and no Hyuuga appearances (unfortunately) but there'll be some SasuSaku interaction, and lots of Team 7 craziness. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 12: Reunited! Sakura in the Middle?

* * *

**

Sasuke was beginning to see the mistake he made when he left Konoha.

It was hardly the odd way the villagers treated him now. It wasn't the three-year probation that bothered him either. No, it was something more serious than that.

"UWAH! Sasuke, you _live_ here?"

The Uchiha's eye twitched. "I _lived_ here," he corrected the overexcited Naruto, who didn't seem to notice anything but the vastness of the Uchiha estate - which was a forbidden place, until then.

"Everything has that fan thing on your back!" the blond exclaimed, looking from one house to another, his blue eyes wide. "Even the walls! And the lanterns!"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura gushed, looking around in amazement, "I knew you were rich, but I never expected _this_!"

Yes. It wasn't the treatment or the probation that irked our favorite Uchiha survivor. It was the overexcitement of his guard at the size of his estate that made his left eye twitch the way it did now. _What's so amazing about this dump?_ he thought petulantly. _Everything looks like a wreck and they're acting like it's nothing they'd ever seen before._

The afternoon sun beat down on the foursome as they dragged several suitcases towards the main Uchiha house. It was hardly three hours after Tsunade gave the command that Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi guard Sasuke, and here they were, pulling three years' worth of clothes and things with them.

That was the other thing that annoyed Sasuke. This was an all-out invasion of his personal space, and by the looks of it, the quiet of his house was no more. In fact, the amount of stuff they had brought over looked as if they were moving in for good. He glared at the pink suitcase Sakura was pulling across the dirt road like it had insulted him.

As though he had read Sasuke's mind, Kakashi said cheerfully, "Well, it's going to be three long, _long_ years-" (Sasuke cursed him for rubbing it in) "-so we might as well take all our stuff, am I right?" Sakura and Naruto yelled their affirmations, and Sasuke eyed the box under Kakashi's arm suspiciously.

"What's that?" he asked, cocking his head to the box's direction. The jounin looked a little sheepish.

"It's – uh – some private collection of mine. Don't worry about it."

His three former students looked at one another for a second, and nodded, sharing the same thought. _Porn._

"You had better not get that mixed with our stuff," Naruto warned him.

"Don't leave them lying around or they're as good as ash," Sasuke added icily.

"In fact, why don't we Katon them all right now?" Sakura suggested. Naruto and Sasuke took on evil grins, and Kakashi wrapped his arm protectively around his beloved collection.

"Mind your own business, children," he muttered ruefully. Changing the subject, he pointed out, "That's it, isn't it?" The group stopped walking, and they threw a glance at the Uchiha main house. The world was silent, and Kakashi cast a one-eyed look at his students.

Predictably, Sakura's and Naruto's mouths had reached the floor after taking in the size of the house they would be residing in. The wall that separated the house from the rest of the world stretched from one end of the block to another. It seemed to be right in the middle of the whole compound. "Well, that's impressive," Kakashi said nonchalantly.

"Feh," Sasuke muttered, pushing the door open and entering the dwelling. Kakashi followed, but Sakura and Naruto still stood staring at the mansion. "Well?" the raven-haired boy asked moodily. "Coming in or what?"

This jolted the two from their reverie and hurried inside. "Show us around, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed, tugging on his arm.

Sasuke opened his mouth to spit out a biting reply, but Naruto beat him to it. "Yeah, yeah! I wanna see the place we're all gonna bunk in!" Naruto put his hands on Sasuke's back and pushed him towards the hall. The three went down the hall, Sasuke yelling for them to quit it under the pain of death, Sakura and Naruto pestering him to give them a tour.

_How strange_, Kakashi thought, watching the three fool around like the kids they had been a few years back. _Sasuke hasn't lived here since the Uchiha massacre, and yet…_

"GEROFF ME!" Sasuke snarled as Sakura hung on his arm and Naruto got him in a headlock.

"Not unless you give us a tour!" Sakura exclaimed, giggling, as Naruto laughed mischievously.

"Fine, fine already!" Sasuke replied angrily, and Sakura and Naruto let go of him. "I'll give you a tour – just don't pester me!"

"YATTA!" his friends cried, and they pushed him further down the hall. Their voices faded down the hall, Naruto and Sakura asking each and every function of each and every room they passed. Kakashi shook his head and put his hands in his pockets.

_...and yet… he's acting like it isn't affecting him the way it should._ He shrugged and smiled. _That's the effect of Sakura and Naruto on him, I'll say.

* * *

_

"EYACHOO!"

Sakura's eyes watered and turned red. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other. Then… "Ah… ah… ah…"

"Take cover!" Naruto cried, and he and Sasuke ducked as Sakura threatened to blow.

"**_ACHOO_**!" Sakura cried, giving a most unladylike sneeze. Naruto and Sasuke winced, and Sakura wiped her nose with a hankie. "Urgh, sorry, guys. Someone must have been talking about me."

Naruto put his hand under his chin. "Hm… must be from all this dust." True enough, when Sasuke and Sakura looked around, everything was covered in a clear inch of dust. The pink-haired nin shook her head.

"We were so excited, we didn't see all of this dust!" Sakura exclaimed, motioning around. "Y'know what I'm thinking? We should clean up this place!"

Naruto and Sasuke stared at her, then at each other, then back at her. After a moment, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're… kidding, right?"

"Everything? Today? Right now?" Naruto piped in.

"Well, why not?" Sakura said, getting excited. "We can't live in a dusty place, right? And we don't have anything to do for the rest of the day! Naruto, you can use Kage Bunshin to cover more space, and Sasuke, you're fast, you can cover as much space as five of Naruto's Kage Bunshin-"

"Hey!" Naruto said ruefully.

"-and Kakashi-sensei might know some water technique we can use!" Sakura continued happily, as though not hearing Naruto. "And since I'm probably the only one who can actually clean a house, I can teach you guys to go about it! It'll be fun!"

Sasuke stared at her more. "You, Sakura, have a seriously twisted understanding of fun."

"That comes from a guy who thought constant training and no games was a reason to celebrate," Sakura said hotly, glaring at him.

"Well, you, Sa…" he trailed off. "Sa… ah… ah… **_ACHOO_**!" He sniffled, and he glared at the smug look Sakura sent him.

"See, even _you_ can't handle the dust! If we start now, we can get this done by dinner. Well? Why don't we get started?"

Naruto, who had now put a hand over his mouth as to prevent dust from entering his nose, said in a muffled voice, "I suppose there's no helping it. I don't think we'll get through three years without sneezing our brains out."

_Curse Naruto and his blunt way of speaking,_ Sasuke thought. "Fine," he said. "Let's get cleaning supplies. But I'm not taking orders from anyone."

"Well, neither am I!" Naruto said proudly, uncovering his mouth. He took a deep breath to begin a tirade. "I-" Then his nose went red. "**_EYAAACHOO!_**"

Sakura's nose twitched, and Sasuke's nose felt itchy. The three of them looked at each other.

"Ah…"

"Ah…"

"Ah…"

"**_AAAAACHOO!_**"

* * *

Sakura began to regret being happy that Tsunade made her live with her all-male, bachelor, not-in-touch-with-feminine-side team. 

"Hey Sakura-chan! Look what I'm doing!" cried several of Naruto's Kage Bunshin. Each of Naruto's bunshin was trying to do more than one thing at the same time – one was attempting to polish a vase while scrubbing the floor clean, and another was holding what looked like an heirloom with one hand and scrubbing the floor back and forth with the other.

"Hey, you're gonna break that!" Sakura cried. "One job at a ti- oof!" She was knocked off from her feet to her butt as the real Naruto came rushing past, wiping the floor as he went. "Narutoooooooo!"

"Ehehe, sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called at her, not lessening his pace.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura called, turning to where she assumed Sasuke was, "why don't you-" She stopped when she saw Sasuke eating onigiri. "What the hell are you _doing_?"

"I'll clean when I'm done with this," Sasuke said, taking another bite.

"You said that when you took that water break an hour ago, and when you ate tomatoes fifteen minutes after that!"

"Well, I'll clean when I'm done with eating onigiri," Sasuke said nonchalantly. Sakura, now seething mad, threw a water spray at him, which hit him square in the head. "Hey!" he cried when a dirty rag landed on his face.

"Get STARTED!" Sakura cried. She hurried out of the room before she could lose more of her temper. "Geez, those two! Naruto's too hyper, and Sasuke-kun's too arrogant to take on chores! They would do well to balance out!" She looked around. "Is Kakashi-sensei back from the grocery yet?"

She had asked their team leader to get them some food and supplies so they could hold out through the week, and had given him a list. _But that was an hour ago_, she mused. _That wasn't a lot of stuff, save for Sasuke request of ten tomatoes and Naruto's of a big box of ramen in assorted flavors._­

"I'm here," the deep voice of Kakashi called, and Sakura turned to the gate, where he was laden with bags and bags of groceries. Sakura hurried to help him with the load. They went to the kitchen to unload. As they put the food into the pantry Sakura had wiped clean, she noticed exactly what Kakashi had bought – a lot of them were _not_ on the list.

"Kakashi-sensei, do we need _mustard_?" Sakura asked. "And no one asked for pickles, mayonnaise, or ketchup either. And this _tofu_, why does it cost more than the usual? Kakashi-sensei, what did you _do_?"

Kakashi scratched his head sheepishly. "Ahahaha, I thought you would understand, Sakura, since you're such a stickler about rules." He cleared his throat and tried his best to look stern when Sakura quirked an eyebrow. "Shinobi saying number 4 clearly states-"

"-a shinobi must be prepared for anything," Sakura said, understanding and getting ticked at the same time. "Kakashi-sensei-"

"What if one of us wants to make a sandwich, and there was nothing in the cupboard? What if we suddenly wanted high-class tofu? Ergo-"

"_KAKASHI-SENSEI!_" Sakura yelled, losing one of her last bits of patience. Kakashi ducked frantically as Sakura swung a fist at him. "WHAT I LISTED DOWN WERE THE ONLY STUFF WE NEEDED! WE NEED TO STICK TO A BUDGET! IF WE DON'T, WE'LL END UP SPENDING MORE THAN WE EARN!" Sakura let out an ear-splitting shriek to filter out all her anger, and moments later, Naruto and Sasuke came running in.

"What's happening?" Naruto asked, looking from a scared-looking Kakashi to a fuming Sakura. Kakashi mouthed to him, _Save_ _me_.

"Er – I'm sure if we leave you alone to calm your nerves for a minute, Sakura-" Sasuke began, but stopped when Sakura sent him a death glare. "Erm-"

"I think this the best time to make a quiet exit," Naruto whispered to him, and he agreed. The three sidled out, leaving the pink-haired medic to cool down. Once they were sure they were out of earshot, Naruto said, "She's turned scarier since the last time we had a D-rank mission together. Even you Sasuke, you aren't immune to her scariness anymore."

"I'm not sure which is worse," Sasuke admitted, and he was being quite honest about it. Years back, he had hated it when Sakura simpered at him with all her affection, and reserved her wrath for Naruto, but he was relieved he hadn't experienced such anger back then. But now that she wasn't melting all over him, instead, pouring all her frustrations on him as much as on Naruto and Kakashi, he was confused as to which he preferred.

The three went to separate tasks, Kakashi commenting that at least half the mansion was done already. Sasuke, a rag and a bucket at hand, went directly to the next room that needed cleaning attention. The barrier that separated this room from the corridor was a couple of doors that slid to opposite directions. Sasuke held out a hand to open it, when something tugged on his heart.

_This room…_

He bit his lip. When was the last time he entered this room? _It was the week after they…_ He clenched his fists. Even after seven years, he still couldn't bring himself to say it. It had been one of the most painful moments of his life. Steeling himself, he pushed the doors open, walked in, and slid them close again, the shadows swallowing the little light the cracks let through.

He looked down, and as clear as day, he could see the splatters of dry blood that had almost become part of the woodwork. He touched it, reliving in his mind the night his life had come undone. _That man…_ he thought angrily, hate spreading through his chest again as he recalled how that murderer told him…

…_to run… run… cling on to life… and live a miserable existence…_

Sasuke thought of how he had almost come close to killing him that other week. _I was so close, so very close. And the next time we meet…_ Sasuke knelt down, wet the rag, and began scrubbing the bloodstains from the floor. _Next time we meet, it'll all be over.

* * *

_

Seals were quickly formed. Chakra was molded. Fifty-percent, seventy-percent, ninety-percent…

"Suiryuudan no Ju-"

"KAKASHI-SENSEI! NO!"

Kakashi jumped and his chakra dissipated, and Sakura ran toward him. "Oh, no, Kakashi-sensei!" she said exasperatedly. "Don't use that jutsu to clean the house!"

"Why not? It'll be faster, trust me."

"You'll destroy the house and drown us all!"

"It'll only be a small wave-"

"I said NO!"

"Sakura," Kakashi said slowly, "calm down for a bit-" But then a noise from inside the house interrupted him. "What was that?"

"Naaaruuutoooo!" Sakura wailed. "What have you done this time?" She ran into the house, and Kakashi followed. When he got inside, Sakura had frozen in her tracks, and Kakashi, seeing what Naruto had done, shook his head.

For Naruto had skidded and rammed into a closet while he cleaned the floor, upsetting the closet and breaking it, its contents spilling all over the floor. Naruto was already laughing nervously, trying in vain to fix the damage he had caused. "Ahehehe, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura smiled. "Naruto," she began sweetly, "your face."

"Eh, m-my face?" Naruto touched his face, wondering if something was wrong with it.

"Yes." Sakura cracked her knuckles, angry flames seeming to leap in the background. "Your face… IS ABOUT TO GET REARRANGED!"

Minutes later, Naruto lay on the ground, his face quite rearranged. Kakashi poked him, testing if he was alive. Sakura stomped off far away from them to cool off. _Gnnnn! Is this how it is to live with bachelors! Shannaro, Kami-sama, take me now!_ She stomped off down the hall and slammed the sliding doors of a room open. She could see Sasuke's back from where she stood, and he could see he was hard put at scrubbing the floor.

"Sasuke-kun," she said, wanting to vent off – she knew Sasuke wouldn't interrupt her anyway, "you won't believe what those two are putting me through! It's so annoying – did you know Kakashi wanted to-" then she stopped. "Sa… Sasuke… kun…?" Sasuke didn't turn at the sound of her voice, but she knew something was off. She hurried and knelt beside him.

She saw what he had been trying to do for the past few minutes, in vain. The bloodstains were too deep in the wood already to be scrubbed off. Not that his efforts weren't admirable – the part of the floor he had been scrubbing was looking to be much lighter in color than the rest. However, it became more obvious than ever that there were dark red stains on the floor.

But that wasn't what broke Sakura's heart. Her chest clenched when she took in the miserable look on Sasuke's face. His eyes were panicked, frustrated, and his hand was trembling. _He's… about to cry…_

Crying was something that came to Sakura naturally, and it was something Sasuke hadn't done in a long time. And to see someone like him near tears made the want to cry more contagious than ever. Tears prickled in her green eyes, and she struggled to contain them. This wasn't the time to be like this… not when Sasuke was just as vulnerable. "Hey," she whispered hoarsely, tentatively touching his cold, trembling hand. He gave her a startled look like he had only noticed her. He drew his hand away. Sakura wrenched her gaze from his obsidian pools and began to stand up. "Maybe… I should just leave-"

"No!" Sasuke exclaimed, grabbing her hand. It was her turn to look apprehensive, and he let go. "I - I mean… you can stay." He paused, and breathed out. "You – you stay here. Just talk. Talk… Pretend I was listening. Maybe I will. Just… Sakura, I want to hear you talk."

Sakura was beyond bewildered at the strange request. "I… if that's what you want, Sasuke-kun," she said, and knelt beside him, taking a rag and helping him out. What was she going to talk about in this awkward moment? "Well, I guess we better get these stains out," she said heavily. They worked in silence, Sakura feeling increasingly pressured by the weight of Sasuke's need.

After a while, she said, "I think, if we put bleach on it, the stain might come off." She knitted her brows together. "Come to think of it, Kakashi-sensei bought two for the price of one, so we can probably waste a lot of that bleach on this, so it'll come off. But the color of the wood wouldn't be the same, though. I ought to have asked him to buy some varnish too. But then again I didn't see this coming."

Ranting, fortunately, was another of those things that came naturally to Sakura. Within minutes, the knot in Sasuke's chest disappeared, and so did the want to cry. Sakura's voice, grating though it might have been to him when they were twelve, now felt soothing.

Maybe it was because he had matured that he didn't feel annoyed by her voice. Maybe it was her own maturity that made it calming. Or maybe, it was her familiar presence of comfort and cheer that he felt more at ease in a room filled with evil memories.

Whatever it was, it had a very good effect on him.

* * *

At about seven in the evening, the tired teens sat by the porch, drinking the tea Sakura had made. Kakashi was in the kitchen, as he had offered to make dinner. They were all unusually quiet, and it felt bothersome to Naruto. He looked over at Sakura and Sasuke, both of whom were staring at their tea, contemplating something beyond his understanding. 

Naruto was a very instinctive person at times, and this time, he felt he knew what was going on. _Something weird happened between them_, he surmised. _It's only… what's the word…_ logical, _isn't it? They're not talking to each other, and not to me either. Whatever it was, it sure doesn't involve me._ He had no idea how close to the truth he had hit, though.

But all this quiet was, for lack of better word, disquieting. The Kyuubi blond was getting restless. "Are you guys just gonna stare in space and not talk to me?" he complained loudly, and both his teammates snapped their attention to him. Sasuke scowled reflexively, but Sakura looked blank. "Fine," he said, pouting and getting up. "I'll explore this place more. I _hate_ sitting still doing nothing interesting!" Without waiting for an answer, he set off.

The two left looked at each other for a moment, then shrugged. "Looks like Naruto will always be Naruto," Sasuke muttered.

"Yeah," Sakura replied cheerfully. "No matter how many years pass, he'll never be able to sit still. I wonder what'll happen once he's behind the Hokage's desk, sorting out paperwork and whatnot. He has _no_ idea what awaits him once he becomes Hokage."

"_If _he becomes Hokage," Sasuke said dully.

"Do you doubt it?" Sakura asked, a little disturbed at the reaction.

"Yes," he replied bluntly, and said no more after a while. Sakura stared at him, but turned to her tea once more. Sasuke swilled his tea, watching his green reflection on the sweet smelling drink. "I haven't lived here in a while," he said quietly after a few moments. Sakura looked at him.

"You mean, since the… incident?" she asked. Sasuke nodded. She frowned a little. "Doesn't that bother you? I mean, this house must contain a lot of bad memories for you. Are you sure you're okay with you being back here, with us, no less?"

Sasuke's gaze was far away. "This house… it also has some good memories. And…" he tilted his head to the side as he looked at Sakura, "I feel better, since you guys are-"

_CRASH!_

They both started, and as it dawned on the both of them as to what might've caused the unearthly noise, Naruto rolled from the hall into sight. He was slightly bruised, and he laughed nervously as Sakura and Sasuke looked at him in askance. "Ahehehe… I think we might've waxed the floor too well, Sakura-chan."

The girl addressed looked worried, and Sasuke was moments from turning on his Sharingan. "What the hell did you do, Naruto?" he growled.

"Uh… I kinda… sorta… ah… broke… a vase…"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits. "_What?_" he hissed venomously. "Which one?"

"The… erm… big blue one with those cherry blossoms-"

"MY MOM'S FAVORITE VASE!" Sasuke snarled, flaring up. Sakura looked apprehensive. "You did _not_ just break my mom's favorite vase!"

"I'm sorry!" Naruto said hastily. "I didn't really mean to, honestly-"

In a flash, Sasuke had Naruto pinned to the wall by the collar. "Why couldn't you just not be a clumsy _idiot_!"

"I'm not clumsy, and I couldn't see in the dark!"

"You're a ninja, dammit! You're _supposed_ to see good in the dark!"

"I didn't see it coming!"

"Yeah, because you're a freakin' clumsy idiot!"

"What did you say, teme!"

"You guys," Sakura pleaded, looking from one murderous boy to another, "stop it!"

"Not until he apologizes!" they both yelled.

"But it's not that im-"

"Stay out of this!" they roared. Sakura cringed.

"Oi, it's not good to shout at girls." The three turned to face Kakashi, who would've looked funny in his pink frilly apron if it wasn't for that disappointed and scolding looking on his face. "What a trivial matter to get hyped up about. I thought I taught you guys better than that." Grudgingly, Sasuke set Naruto down, and Naruto fixed his collar, looking angry. "Well," Kakashi said, going back to his cheery self. "Dinner's ready! Let's eat!"

The three filed out of the hall and into the dining room, waiting quietly on their tatami mats as Kakashi brought in their dinner. The tension was unbearable, especially for Sakura, who found herself in the middle of a glaring match in between the two boys. _Urgh, if looks could kill, I'd have been dead a long time ago in the crossfire._

Kakashi, looking accomplished, brought in a steaming pot of something and set it down on the dining table. "Eat up!" he exclaimed, lifting the pot's lid.

The three stared at it uneasily as the dark brown thing inside the pot bubble ominously, the vegetables looking oily and the beef (or what they thought was beef) lumpy. "Er – what is it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"One of my favorites!" Kakashi said brightly, not noticing the dubious look on his three students' faces. "Beef stew!"

"I thought beef stew soup was supposed to be clear," Sasuke said dully, sifting his spoon through the blob.

"Well, I added a few things here and there," Kakashi said nonchalantly.

His team looked at each other. Sakura shrugged. "It can't hurt to try."

"If he thinks it's good…" Naruto added. Cautiously, they took turns putting it in their bowls. In unison, they spooned a mouthful up. At first there was silence. Kakashi watched expectantly. Then-

"You know what? I'm not really _that_ hungry after all," Sakura said, trying to smile through the horrible taste. _What exactly did he add? Asbestos? _"Good night, you guys!" She made a quick exit from the room.

Naruto, after wiping his tongue on his sleeve, trying to get rid of the after-taste, said, "I think Ichiraku Ramen is calling me." With that, he bolted.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke in askance. Sasuke calmly closed his eyes, took a swig of water, then set down his bowl. "Next time, Kakashi, _we're_ cooking." And he stood up and left.

Kakashi was left alone in silence. "Aw, was it really _that_ bad?"

* * *

Sakura prepared for sleep that night. _Oh, I'm more than prepared,_ she thought exasperatedly. _Ugh. After all that happened today… Sasuke-kun's trial… cleaning up house… that fight between those two idiots… Man, I am going to sleep through anything tomorrow._

She brushed her hair, staring through her reflection blankly. _I don't get it. Why did it take so little to set Sasuke-kun and Naruto off? Is it only because I have to get used to them fighting again, or are they just still ticked off at one another?_ She sighed heavily. _Whatever it is, I hope it turns out okay…_

She looked around at her surroundings, feeling a little strange. _I'm never going to be able to sleep in my own room in the next three years, not counting the holidays,_ she thought, smiling a little wistfully. _But this feels nice. I've always wondered how it would be… to sleep in Sasuke-kun's house…_ She blushed. _When I was a kid, I always imagined being married to Sasuke-kun and living in his house, but this isn't what I always thought it would be. I always thought I'd make his house cheerful and happy, not this gloomy place it actually is._

She turned out her light and lay down to sleep. _Well, even if I'm not the kid with a huge crush I used to be, I still want this place to have a woman's touch. Goodness knows this place needs it.

* * *

_

Sasuke's closed eyes twitched as the sunlight kissed his eyelids. His body clock already told him it was time to get up. Slowly but surely, his senses began to wake up. The first thing he felt was softness all around him. _Pillows?_ was his first hazy thought. He had not experienced waking up on pillows since Sound. _Am I back in that hell hole?_

He got up and threw back the covers, looking around at his room. The feeling of being in Sound was replaced by the feeling of being eight years old – expecting his mother to be cooking, his father reading his paper, and his brother running laps around the estate. On reflex, as if from a past life, he mumbled, "What did Okaasan cook for breakfast today?"

The sound of his deep voice made him start, bringing him back to the present. Of course. He wasn't eight anymore, nor was he in Sound. He was just home, and he had early morning training to do. Half-let down and half-relieved, he got up and made ready for a new day – his first real day in Konoha.

He slipped on a black long-sleeved shirt and long pants he had salvaged from Itachi's closet (it still smelled of mothballs), resolving to wash all those clothes and buy new ones – he had left all his old ones at Sound. He wore his ninja sandals and headed for the courtyard to start his training.

He had barely begun his kata (1) when he heard a shuffling noise. Again in reflex, his muscles stiffened in case of attack. But it was only Sakura, who didn't bother to smooth her bed head, rubbing her green eyes sleepily. She stifled a yawn. "O-ha-you…" she mumbled. She was barely awake, and Sasuke rolled his eyes when she tripped over her own feet.

She sat on the porch, not saying anything, and Sasuke went back to his kata. For a few minutes, they were in contented silence. Sasuke liked that she wasn't jumping all over him. _Looks like she isn't… what's the term…?_ Fangirling _over me._ _Yeah, I think that's it._ And she truly wasn't. She was just there, staring in space, as though she still needed to wake up. It was one of the peaceful moments he could enjoy before their favorite freaking idiot woke up.

Presently, Sakura decided to stand up. Sasuke glanced at her, and she grinned sleepily. "I gotta cook breakfast," she murmured, running her fingers through the knots in her hair.

"Make sure you're awake enough," Sasuke warned. "I don't want my kitchen to burn down." Sakura laughed softly.

"I don't think I w- _oomph_!" Sasuke raised an eyebrow as a yellow blur tackled Sakura, causing her to lose her balance.

"_Syaaakura-chyaaan_!" Naruto sang, hanging from her back. "Good morning!"

"Get _off_, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, now fully awake and fully annoyed. But it was nothing compared to what Sasuke felt.

For some unknown reason, Sasuke felt ticked when Naruto launched himself on Sakura. It felt a notch more than annoying. It was almost _infuriating_. He had no idea what that feeling was, but something in his mind told him Naruto latching himself on Sakura like that was unacceptable. He watched Sakura trying to shrug off Naruto, and he called irritably, "Oi, usuratonkachi! Get off her already!"

Naruto raised his eyebrows as he let go of Sakura. "What's it to you?" he complained. "I'm only greeting Sakura-chan!"

"You weren't greeting her," Sasuke muttered as-a-matter-of-factly, "you were _strangling_ her."

"At least I actually acknowledge the fact she's there," Naruto sneered. Sasuke's eye twitched. "You, on the other hand, don't even know she's here!"

"Of course I know she's there," Sasuke replied coldly. "I didn't even make her go away."

"Because you didn't even notice she was there!"

"I was just _talking_ to her before you showed up, deaf idiot!"

The two boys threw another barrage of insults at each other again, and Sakura watched exasperatedly. _Now they're fighting over me? This would be awfully flattering if it weren't for the fact this is the most TRIVIAL argument they could ever get into!_ She put her hands on her hips and said, "You guys should listen to yourselves! You sound like a couple of kids fighting over a doll! Please, I'm not worth it! Naruto, I don't appreciate _that_ kind of greeting, and Sasuke-kun, I'm perfectly capable of yelling at Naruto, thank you! Now, _lay off_!"

More embarrassed than annoyed, she turned for the kitchen, determined to take her mind off the arguing boys. Her trained ears caught the sound of Sasuke getting back to his kata, and Naruto toddling off, grumbling under his breath. She rolled her eyes. They would have to learn to get along if they didn't want her mad.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted, entering from the front door. Sakura blinked, surprised. She had no idea Kakashi got up _this_ early.

"Kakashi-sensei, what were you doing out so early?" she asked. "If you can wake up this early, how come you're always late?"

"Hey, it's not my fault I always get lost on the road of life," Kakashi protested mildly. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, who's cooking breakfast? I don't think Naruto or Sasuke would allow me to cook anymore."

"And they're right about that, even if they aren't about anything else," Sakura pointed out. She noticed how he avoided the subject of why he woke up early, but filed the thought for future reference. "I'm cooking, Kakashi-sensei. I think you better watch over Naruto and Sasuke-kun – they're much more prone to killing each other these days."

"Will do." They nodded to each other and walked off to their respective destinations. "And, Sakura?" Kakashi added, and Sakura turned, a questioning look on her face. He smiled from behind the mask. "You're doing a good job, running this household."

Sakura smiled back. _Now, if I can only stop Naruto and Sasuke-kun from killing each other.

* * *

_

Breakfast was a lot better than dinner – that much the men could say. They polished off their breakfast and went off to prepare for training. After which, they met in the Uchiha training yard, which was almost like their usual training ground, except that it was wider, and looked liked it needed mowing. "Good," Kakashi said. "We can practice fighting in grassy fields. Naruto, spar with Sakura – I want you to get used to fighting her type. Sasuke, I want to see how much you got better these past three years. We won't use Sharingan for today."

_Besides_, he thought, _I think those two can't go at each other for a while. They'll need a bit more time to cool off._

His team separated into two groups, each going to a separate place in the field. Kakashi and Sasuke got ready to face off, while Sakura and Naruto regarded each other carefully. "Just because you're cute, Sakura-chan, I'm not going to go easy on you," Naruto called. Sakura glared at him.

"For trying to flatter me, I'm going to go extra hard on you," she shot back.

Naruto didn't wait for any more. He rushed at Sakura without thinking. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, forming four bunshin, who had Sakura cornered at four sides. She only smirked and punched the ground, making the ground whip like a wave a throw off the bunshin, making them disappear.

"That won't work against me!" she said, jumping away as Naruto made to punch her. The blond gave chase and tried to punch her again, but she leapt forward, grabbed Naruto's incoming forearm for leverage, and flipped upward. Then her foot came crashing down Naruto's head. She landed gracefully on her feet as Naruto cradled his head, moaning. She smirked again. "Be glad that wasn't my one hundred percent power, or the bone could've been reduced to dust!"

This sorely hurt Naruto's pride. _Right, time for tactics!_ he thought. _What's a weakness of Sakura-chan that I can use?_ No matter how much he thought, though, he knew Sakura would use each weakness as a fuel for her anger, thus making her wilder than ever. _I'll have to-_

"No time for staring, Naruto!" Sakura sang, and suddenly she was in front of him, kunai in hand. Naruto dodged the first swipe, but was completely unguarded against the second, so that it grazed his arm. He reached into his holster and pouch quickly, countering the next swipes of kunai with his own.

Then they were caught in a deadlock, but Sakura was winning with sheer force. _I have to use her strength against her_, he realized. He wrenched his kunai from the deadlock, and Sakura tripped. As she fell to the ground, Naruto made five bunshin.

"U-zu-ma-ki Naruto Rendan!" At each syllable, the bunshin gave Sakura an upward kick, and Naruto himself punched her downward. He took special care of not giving it too much force in case he rendered Sakura unconscious. The punch was rough enough for her to bleed, but gentle enough for her to have time to land upright on the ground.

"You're finally using your brain, Naruto!" Sakura called. "But we're not done yet!" Both rushed forward for another round.

Meanwhile, Kakashi and Sasuke sparred with few words. Here and there, Kakashi commented on his fighting style, and Sasuke would only nod. _He's become faster than ever_, the sensei realized. _If he keeps this up he could rival the Yellow Flash, the Yondaime himself._

Sure enough, before Kakashi could finish the thought, Sasuke was already behind him, throwing several kunai. Kakashi reacted in time for a kunai to scratch his cheek and to catch one by the handle, which he threw back to Sasuke. But the Uchiha heir had already formed seals and summoned snakes from his sleeve.

_And he can summon snakes too,_ Kakashi thought, as he was wrapped in the tight grasp of the snakes. Quickly, he formed the right seals to do Kawarimi, so that before Sasuke could throw a few shuriken at him, he had replaced himself with a log. He moved quickly under Sasuke and made to sweep him off his feet, but Sasuke was fast enough to jump over it.

"Tajuu Daihousenka no Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled, and moments later, hundreds of small flames shot out of his mouth, aiming at Kakashi, who was hard put at dodging them. Finally, the jounin had to evoke a water technique to quell the flames.

_He's better than I expected, for sure,_ Kakashi concluded as they took a breather for a few seconds. _I wonder how Naruto and Sakura were able to take it._

Meanwhile, Sakura decided to try out one of her favorite techniques. As Naruto rushed at her at all sides with about a hundred bunshin, she pivoted on her foot, sending kunai with pouches attached to them at all directions. The pouches popped open, revealing very small explosive tags. Before Naruto could realize that, however, a second pivot let Sakura throw another batch of kunai, this time with large explosive tags on them.

"Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu (2)," she said simply, watching them all explode.

"Not yet, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called, and Sakura, surprised, spun around to face him. He punched her enough to send her flying. She skidded to a halt, and smiled tiredly. "Pause?" Naruto asked. She nodded. They turned to watch how Kakashi and Sasuke's spar turned out.

Sasuke spun out of the way when Kakashi threw a set of shuriken at him. Then Kakashi ran towards him, kunai aloft. Sasuke twirled his kunai and made to slash Kakashi – only to have "Kakashi" explode in his face.

"Bunshin Bakudan (3)!" Sasuke exclaimed. Through the dust, the real Kakashi made a grab for him and pinned him down to the ground.

"You're still a little slow to react without your Sharingan, though," he said amiably. "Or else you didn't see me make a bunshin when you spun around?" Sasuke said nothing, miffed at the way he had lost.

"Ha!" Naruto said to Sakura. "Looks like Sasuke isn't that strong after all."

It happened fast. Suddenly, Sasuke had broken free and had a kunai against Naruto's throat. "Say that again," he hissed.

Naruto smirked, looking down at the weapon. "I said, you're not that strong, after all. Why, are you going to kill me for that?" He pushed Sasuke's hand away. "I'd like to see you try."

"You really would, wouldn't you?" Sasuke asked scathingly. Kakashi and Sakura stood in the background, watching what would happen next.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto had formed Kage Bunshin again, and they all rushed to Sasuke, who incinerated every single one with Goukakyuu no Jutsu. Then another wave of bunshin made its way to Sasuke just as he finished off the first wave. The bunshin lifted up a fellow bunshin, and with a unified yell, they threw that bunshin towards Sasuke. These flying bunshin had kunai in their hands, and they hurtled into Sasuke, who was hard put in dodging and making these bunshin disappear.

"That's enough!" Sakura yelled, but no one seemed to listen. She watched as Sasuke engaged in a taijutsu battle against the remaining bunshin. And then she felt a big change in the flow of Naruto's chakra. She turned to see what it was, and gasped at what she saw.

There was a Rasengan swirling in the blond's hand, and he was running towards Sasuke. The obsidian-eyed youth dissipated one last bunshin, summoned his chakra, and instantly, the Chidori formed.

"Now this is just ridiculous!" Sakura cried, pumping chakra to her legs, Kakashi doing the same. She molded her chakra, held the ground, and cried, "Doton: Jari Kabe no Jutsu (4)!" Her chakra flowed at top speed towards the point a meter from Naruto, and from there, a gravel wall sprang up. Kakashi threw a kunai with a string attached to its ring, and aimed it to circle Sasuke's feet. Once it did, Kakashi let his chakra flow.

These actions had the desired effect. Naruto rammed the Rasengan into the gravel wall, and Sasuke had to stop his movement, thus, making the Chidori dissipate. Kakashi looked sterner than ever, and Sakura just looked terrified.

"Naruto, Sasuke," he said severely. "Do _not_ use those techniques against each other, ever again. You, Naruto, as my subordinate for this mission, and you, Sasuke, as the probationary, _will_ follow my orders as to that matter, or Hokage-sama will be happy enough to take away your ninja privileges. Am I _clear_?"

Naruto wrenched his hand from the gravel wall and nodded, glaring at his shoes. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke put down his hand, still looking murderous. "Hn."

Sakura's hand shook uncontrollably, wanting to strangle the two boys to make them understand. But that wasn't the answer. She would have to talk to Kakashi about it.

* * *

Whatever Kakashi had ordered them to do, the two still somehow found ways to get around the order. All day long, both boys argued, insulted, and even tried to rough up one another. And all day long, the mediating forces were Sakura and Kakashi, who were getting increasingly frustrated at the behavior of their two teammates.

Once Naruto and Sasuke were safely away from each others' throats, Sakura approached Kakashi, right before sleeping at night. "Ne, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked at his only female student, and found that she had that worried look on her face. She looked so sincerely concerned that Kakashi was reminded of a twelve year-old her, the one who had sobbed her heart out after the same boys had their showdown on the hospital roof a few years back. "What's up, Sakura?"

"I'm worried, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura began softly, wringing her night shirt. Kakashi already knew this just by looking. "Sasuke-kun and Naruto… they're always at each other's throats, and they turn the littlest misunderstandings into big issues. They don't look like they'll ever be friends again." Kakashi raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. "At first, I thought everything would turn out all right in the end, but now I see… their friendship might never come back. And I'll be the one stuck between them. I don't want them to be mad at each other forever."

Kakashi chuckled. Sometimes, it seemed his team went back to being children. "Sakura, you have to understand," he said, patting her on the head. "Men have a different way of settling things from women. While you girls might just sit and talk it out, we men, we let our fists do the talking. But don't worry – they won't kill each other. This is their way of healing each other. They'll come to their senses one of these days."

Sakura turned her wide green eyes at her teacher. "Do you really think so?"

"I know so," Kakashi replied, smiling at her. Sakura returned it with her own sad one. "Now go on to bed. I thought you had training with Hokage-sama?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I do. Good night, Kakashi-sensei." _Kakashi-sensei, I put my trust in those words. They had better be true.

* * *

_

Hatake Kakashi never realized, until that day, that their only female member was one very vital part of a practice session.

It was the week after their disastrous first training session in three years. The past week, he and Sakura had handled the two teens with great teamwork, and now, without the other half of that team, Kakashi felt more burdened. "For umpteenth time, stop jumping all over each other already," Kakashi said exasperatedly, separating the two, who were ready to go again. "Let's just get on with training, shall we?"

"Only if he shuts up," Naruto mumbled.

"Only if he stops being an idiot," Sasuke muttered.

Kakashi sighed. _Why'd it have to be today that Sakura trains with Hokage-sama?_ He looked at the two boys, who were glaring at each other. "Well, we have to get started, you guys. Whether you like your teammate or not."

* * *

Sakura was determined to forget about the conflict back at the Uchiha Manor. _If it's natural for them to fight like that, I should let it be. I shouldn't think about it too much, or I'll only end up with more wrinkles on my face. Today, I'm getting through the day without any thought of what awaits me back home._

She walked towards the Hokage Tower, taking special interest at the shops on the way. She paused at every shop, taking her time, because she knew Tsunade was only waking up from her usual hangover. She had already visited her parents, gone to Ino's shop to say hi, and now she still had time to browse the shops. She was looking at some beautiful gilded mirrors when a familiar voice called, "Oi, Sakura."

She turned and smiled at the familiar figure. "Hey, Shikamaru!" she greeted. "Whatcha doin'?"

He shrugged. "More troublesome stuff," he droned. He held a scroll in his hand, tossing and catching it at times. "The Chuunin Exams are a pain in the ass, and I'm supposed to distribute examinee permission passes to the Kages of the participating villages, for their candidates. I'm on my way out the village."

"Chuunin exam?" Sakura wondered. "When will this be?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Who knows? It's too troublesome to take note of it. Ask Hokage-sama, she'll know."

Sakura laughed uneasily as Shikamaru walked off. "Some good source he's turning out to be," she murmured. "I guess Tsunade-shishou would know more about this than anyone. I had better ask her."

She entered the Hokage Tower, weaving her way through the halls as only the ones who frequented the Tower could. The building had been a mystery to her when she was twelve, but now she knew it inside out, after all the years of training she had spent in it. Sometimes she would look at the Hokage's private library, or at the archives where data about Konoha nin were stored. But today, she couldn't make any side trips. She couldn't wait to ask her master about the upcoming Chuunin Exams.

She pushed the door open and found Tsunade bent over paperwork again. "Good morning, Tsunade-shishou!" she said cheerfully.

The older woman smiled. "Hello, Sakura. You're in a good mood."

"I'm just glad to get out of the hell hole called a bachelor pad," Sakura said honestly. She began an informal report about the goings-on in the Uchiha Manor. "I still can't get why Sasuke-kun and Naruto have to fight over every little thing."

"That's the way men are," Tsunade said, shrugging. "Trust me, Sakura, when you've seen as much of life as I have, you'd know when not to interfere in these types of matters. Men are just… odd in that way." She stood up. "Anyway, shall we begin training today?"

"Oh, before anything else, Tsunade-shishou, I want to ask something."

"Go ahead."

Sakura stared up at her shishou. "What can you tell me about the Chuunin Exams, Tsunade-shishou?"

Tsunade looked at her shrewdly. "Let me guess… for Sasuke and Naruto?" Sakura nodded and rubbed her nose, looking sheepish. The blonde crossed her arms. "Well, it's coming in a week, and we'll be hosting it again. It's the usual works – the test with Ibiki, the Forest of Death with Anko, and the Versus battles with Genma. Did you know I refereed it in my day? I actually want to do it again…"

Sakura courteously waited for Tsunade's reminiscence to end. "Anyway, I don't think there's any reason why Sasuke and Naruto can't take the Exam. You only have to ask Kakashi to submit a formal request for a Chuunin Exam retake, and then they can enter." Sakura sighed in relief.

"Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"Not quite," Tsunade said, looking at Sakura straight in the eye. "There's one more requirement they need."

* * *

_One more requirement…_ Sakura thought as she walked home later that day. Every muscle in her body ached as a result of Tsunade's rigorous training regimen. But somehow, she didn't think about it. Instead, she was thinking more of her teammates.

_So we can all be on the same footing again, they have to take the Chuunin Exams,_ she mused. _They can pass the Exam, I'm confident of that. If I was able to pass it, weaker than them as I am, they'll be able to, as well._ She looked at the orange and pink June sky, a result of the setting sun's rays splaying all over the sky. _But that requirement… how will they be able to fulfill it in time?_

She entered the gates of the Uchiha Manor, lost in her thoughts about the Exams. So many things had happened in the span of one month, and here was another one to add to that bulk. It was getting hard to keep track of. She chuckled to herself. _I'm not sure why I burden myself with these things._

She walked towards the training grounds, where she was sure the men were. _I wonder how they did without me…_

Then she heard it. The faint, but distinct chirping. _The chirping of a thousand birds._

Realizing what was going on, she sprinted all the way there. Her hearing was right on first guess as she stared down at the bright lights emitted by the Chidori and the Rasengan. With growing apprehension, she found Kakashi slumped on the ground, unconscious, blood streaming down his nose, and that Naruto and Sasuke were emitting that frightening murderous intent – or what she hoped _wasn't_ murderous intent.

_That. Is. It._

Sakura had reached the end of her tether. She had been very patient as to their arguments, but to have knocked out Kakashi to be able to defy him was just the clinching point. The nonsense had to stop. She gritted her teeth, unable to control her anger. _Dammit, men or not, these guys act like babies!_

She ran to the training ground, and yelled in her most dangerous voice, "**_SASUKE-KUN! NARUTO!_**" They both turned to the seething kunoichi, who was shaking in sheer fury. They stared at her for a while, not deactivating their trump cards. "ARRRRGH!" she shrieked, when they didn't. _All right, what Tsunade-sama taught me today… one hundred percent blast of chakra in only two fingers!_

"ISSHI RESSHIN (5)!" she cried, pressing her index fingers gently on the ground. Both boys had the liberty of looking confused before the ground cracked with such a rapid force that when the cracks got to them, both were blown away opposite each other. Both cried out as they both hit a tree.

Pumping her chakra into her feet, she grabbed Sasuke by the pant leg, then went to the other side and grabbed Naruto by the collar, and dumped them in front of her, not too gently. And then they both knew they were in for a _long_ lecture.

"_JUST WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?_ YOU CAN'T ACTIVATE RASENGAN OR CHIDORI AT EACH OTHER! DO YOU GUYS HONESTLY WANT TO KILL EACH OTHER? WHAT SORT OF TRIVIAL THING DID YOU FIGHT ABOUT THIS TIME? IF IT WERE A QUESTION OF STRENGTH THERE'D BE NO DOUBT YOU'RE JUST EQUAL, SO STOP TAUNTING EACH OTHER! IF YOU DO THAT ONE MORE _FRIGGIN'_ TIME, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU GUYS WON'T HAVE ANY LIMBS TO DO RASENGAN OR CHIDORI! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Sakura panted, but whether because she was so angry or because she shouted so much, she couldn't tell. She could see them _shaking_ in fear, and she felt a raw sense of bestial satisfaction she was able to cause this much terror to two of the strongest people she knew. When they didn't answer her, she slapped Sasuke's head, earning her a pained "Ow!" from the great Uchiha genius. "You, Uchiha Sasuke, will _NOT_ use the Chidori against Naruto during trivial matters, or for any matter, understood?"

Then she slapped Naruto's head equally hard. "And you, Uzumaki Naruto, will _NOT_ use the Rasengan against Sasuke-kun for the same reasons, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," they both mumbled, looking like a couple of naughty brats being scolded by the teacher.

Sakura waited. Sasuke and Naruto only stared at her. Growing impatient, she stomped her foot, making the ground quake. The hairs on the back of their necks stood on end. "Apologize to each other, DAMMIT!"

The two looked at each other, then glanced away. Sakura tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. Finally, Sasuke muttered, "Sorry, Naruto."

"Yeah," Naruto said heavily. "You too, Sasuke." He clapped Sasuke on the back, a sure sign of reconciliation (or at least, Sakura wanted to think so).

"Good," she said sternly. "Because not only will I cut off your limbs next time you go at each other like this, you will also have to endure being locked out the house without anything but the clothes on your backs."

"I think you've made your point, Sakura," Sasuke said, half-bluntly, half-cautiously.

"Yeah, well…" Sakura shrugged and glanced at Kakashi. "What _did_ you do to him?"

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other, then snickered. "You'd get mad at us more, Sakura-chan," Naruto said.

"I won't."

"If you insist," Sasuke said, shrugging. "Naruto wanted him to shut up, so he did Harem no Jutsu on Kakashi."

"Thus, the nosebleed," Naruto added. Sakura grimaced, not wanting to think of… well, Naruto's womanly form, so to speak.

Then she sighed. "Well, since it's _not_ that serious… I forgive you. I guess we better haul him in. I have something to tell you once we're all inside."

* * *

"YES!"

"Naruto," Sakura admonished as Naruto nearly toppled the dinner table, "don't get _that_ excited. It's only the Chuunin Exams."

"Yeah, but this is my one chance to be at your level!" Naruto said happily. "Oh yeah, I am going to own all their asses at the Chuunin Exams! I've trained so hard with Ero Sennin so everyone's in for a butt-whoppin' courtesy of me! And then, Sakura-chan, we'll all take the Jounin Exams together!"

Sakura laughed. "We'll see if you pass. But once you do, I promise, we'll all take the Jounin Exams together as a team. I won't take it unless you guys do. But you had _better_ pass." She held out her pinkie. "Pinkie promise?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Naruto laughed loudly, linking his own pinkie with Sakura's. They looked at Sasuke. "Well?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke linked his pinkie with the two of them, and he chuckled quietly. Sakura grinned at her two boys.

"There! Now we all do solemnly swear to take the Jounin Exams as Team 7, okay?" she asked.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled. "We'll kick butt in the Chuunin Exams for you, Sakura-chan!"

"Aa," Sasuke agreed.

They stayed like that for a moment, and Sakura felt her stomach swoop up and down happily. This was their team. This was Team 7, and they were back together to conquer once more.

When they let go, however, Sakura looked serious. "There's still one thing I didn't tell you. You're still lacking one requirement."

"What's that requirement, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Sakura looked at them. "Who do you think is missing from our group when taking the Exams?"

"You."

"That's right, because I already took it."

Sasuke looked serious as well. "I see what we don't have now." He glanced at his teammates. Sakura nodded, and Naruto looked blank.

"We're missing a third teammate, aren't we?"

* * *

**Sasuke:** A third member. That's all we need to complete this Exam. But where do we find one in such a short notice? Ch. At this rate, we'll take forever to find a suitable teammate. Every one of the Rookie 9 has taken it except me and Naruto. Even Lee's team has passed it. It looks like we'll have to broaden our horizons.

Wait, what do they mean by doing a D-Rank Mission without Sakura or Kakashi? Who'll be our third member? Oh, _no_. You will _not_ team us up with a jinx, Tsunade! And he's not going to be in our team during the Exams either!

Next chapter, _A New Friend – Three-man Team_.

New friend? What new friend? He's a _nuisance_!

* * *

**AN:** (1) Warm up. Usually before rigorous martial arts training, I think.

(2) Cherry Blossom Hurricane Technique. Seen in the first Naruto Movie. (And it's one of _my_ favorite techniques.)

(3) Bomb Clone.

(4) Earth Skill: Gravel Wall Technique. Made up.

(5) One Fingered Quake.

Well, after many long weeks of trying to complete this, I'm done! I'm sorry I wasn't able to update at my usual pace. I had an extreme case of time un-management. I couldn't juggle school, violin, fanfic, doujinshi, extra curricular activities, and Gaia Online. I am just that stupid, yes. But I'm just glad that I finished it.

Somehow, I was a little discouraged by chapter 312, especially by the appearance of that new jinchuuriki. I just can't seem to accept that I might not be able to make my OC sound convincing with that new character hanging around Naruto-verse. But if you guys still think I can continue this thing, then okay – just tell me. Don't tell me to remove my OC, though. The story won't function as well without her. Just tell me if you want me to **continue or not**.

Speaking of OCs, did you notice what Sasuke was talking about? Yes, _another_ OC. They can't take the Chuunin Exams with just the two of them. At one point, I wanted it to be Sai, but it just wouldn't fit in. So I decided to forfeit the idea of Sai coming in. I just can't see him as the jinx.

Anyway, tell me what you think, okay?


	13. A New Friend – ThreeMan Team

**AN:** You, my public, have inspired me to start typing just one day after updating. 41 reviews after only twenty-four hours! I feel so loved, honestly! sniffle I love you guys! But somehow, I finished this later than I had planned. Cursed schoolwork.

Anyway, I have decided what to do about the Nibi in my fic. Obviously, I won't reveal it until the Jounin Exam Arc comes around. (Anyway, I'm pretty proud of myself – I predicted the Nibi would be female, from Hidden Cloud, and able to control her youma well! That was the character I wanted for Nekotachi Midori in my fic. I am _so_ good! dances) I'll tell you how she won't be the Nibi anymore.

In this chapter, we will meet the newest character of this epic. And no, he will not be a perfect, prissy person, aka Gary Stu. Again and again I will reiterate it – I am part of the Anti-Mary Sue/Gary Stu Movement, so there. As all of my characters will be, he will be a perfectly plausible character who has faults as well as skills. Just like you and me. Not naively idealized at all. By the way, he will only be important in this part of the epic. He won't be seen in the other parts. That's all.

**Sankyuu to: CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, animemistress419,Hinata-hime, Arche-chan **(Yes, definitely long enough)**, sillymail, Psycho King, shioan, lil-s3xy-gurl, Lady Evilness, Mistress DragonFlame **(Sorry, you'll have to deal with it... it's an epic, hehe)**, Silver Warrior, Dragon Man 180 **(Hinata'll definitely be dropping by soon, I just have to develop her relationship with Naruto more)**, icygirl2, Nyce456, Only Secret,Raven Ariana **(thanks for such a long review!)**, So-kun, sweetmaiden, Komo Pineconeseed, K.C. **(I'll be adding more pairings later. For now, the focus is Team 7)**, ivory-hime, rebel-girl, Citree, PrincessChii, Tsumii **(I'd never add an OC that doesn't enhance a story or might overshadow the main characters)**,soysauce-jr, Uzamaki-Girl, deity of death1, Suki dah Turdle, not-so-macho-man, sasukeluvsakura, Gina01, Dust-in, koa-chan, Celestartial Blossoms, Ennariel, Lyzz2nwn **(gawd - so long. I love you)**, bahamut9999, mistress of mist **(I can't believe you gue- never mind. grin)**, Kawaii Yoshi, Denisen, ToCOrNot 77, Acoustical Trance, evilteddybear, Mimiru-Sama, DarkAngel Rose XS, Holly **(Thanks for giving me your opinion. It's just so clear and concise I just had to tell you)**, Queen Cow and Steak, loVeFoReTeRnItY, Yami Umi, pdaervo, Lord Skoonie **(oh my. Thank YOU!)**, wolfen91, heeroYuyz, izumi-chan, meaganu-chan, BROKENPRIESTESS184, Great Saiyaman, Drake-Azathoth **(yet another beautiful review. Thanks!)**, SiMply Sakura-chan **(Another review I simply loved - HELL YES I love long reviews!)**, anime-fanatic, Asajin, Warrior Kitten **(is very flattered and speechless This story can't be compared to the series!)**, warprince2000, sono sai, Cainan, I'llDieLaughingAtYou, A Crazy Girl of Many Names, tiffanylicis, animevivverz, 4everDestined, langslock, StarDragon X, ..., Dodingdaga, Lady Kunoichi** ... and all those who read and forgot to review!

Phweet, **81** reviews! Not bad! I mean, it only took a month to reach that. Thanks! And thanks to all of you, I managed to reach the **500** mark in less than 15 chapters! I heart you all! (Even the ones who thought it might be Konohamaru who'd be the new member...)

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**Chapter 13: A New Friend – Three-Man Team**

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Naruto woke up with a feeling of trepidation in the pits of his stomach the next day. It was one he always got whenever something was big was going to happen and he might not have a big, heroic part in it.

He shot out of bed, his night cap falling into his eyes. "The Chuunin Exams!" he exclaimed to himself, pushing the bear cap up. Immediately, the conversation from last night played in his head, with Sakura telling them about the Exams and Sasuke realizing that one team member was missing.

_One more team member…_ he thought worriedly. _Somehow, I just can't think of our team without Sakura-chan in it. But if we can't find a third teammate for this exam, we might never get a chance to be teamed up with Sakura-chan!_ They had six days to find a team member and train with him or her. But how in the world would they find one in such short notice?

He got out of bed and went to look for his teammates. Just like every day, Sakura was sleepily watching Sasuke do his daily kata. He prevented himself from jumping all over her again. _For all I know, both of them might get mad at me again._ He snickered to himself as he looked in Sasuke's direction. _Mfft, he doesn't want anyone touching Sakura-chan, huh?_

Whatever he thought, he settled for a great big, "Good morning, Syaaakura-chyaaaaan!" Addressed girl turned to him and smiled sleepily, too drowsy to answer. Sasuke's eye twitched, but he said nothing. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Better than before, for sure," Sakura murmured. "At least I didn't have to worry about you two wringing off each other's necks."

Naruto laughed uneasily, remembering her threat if they _did_ wring off each other's necks. "W-well, you won't have to worry about _that _anymore." He looked at her. "So, how do you think we'll find a new team member?"

Sakura kept her gaze far away. "I don't know, Naruto. But if we ask Tsunade-sama if there are any more genin without teammates, then for sure we can find someone to replace me for the time being."

"No one could replace you, Sakura-chan," Naruto said bluntly.

"I know," Sakura said, smiling at him. "That's why you better hurry up and become a Chuunin with me."

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Team Kakashi walked the streets of Konoha later that morning. Naruto had his hands behind his head, Kakashi had his nose in his book, Sakura had hers on the merchandise in the shops, while Sasuke had his head in the clouds.

_I know I can't be choosy about this new teammate, since we may not have a choice_, he thought. _But hopefully it'll be someone who can work with me and Naruto well. Preferably, that someone should be smarter than Naruto. I doubt any genin would have medic skills that match Sakura's, but a wide medical knowledge would suffice, I suppose. _

Sasuke looked over at Sakura, who had her sight glued to some combs at a nearby stall. Her lower body kept walking, but her upper body was stuck in where she had been, forcing her to stop walking and gush over the combs. Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked over to her, and hooking his hand in the crook of her arm to drag her off, said, "Come _on_, Sakura."

"But – but, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said imploringly, her eyes bright with the desire to spend money, a look Sasuke had to grimace at. "They're so _pretty_!"

Sasuke sighed and pulled her away from the display. "What happened to 'not spending money for unnecessary items'?"

Sakura giggled from behind him. "Aw, Sasuke-kun, I can indulge once in a while, can't I?"

Sasuke didn't reply, but he smiled slightly. _Whatever happens, it's just as Naruto said._

"Sasuke-kun!" her lilting voice called, laughter mixed with ruefulness in her voice. "Don't pull me so hard!"

_No one can replace her._

They all hurried towards the Hokage Tower, all anxious to speak to Tsunade about the availability of genin who couldn't take the test without two more teammates. "It's a bit of a long shot," Kakashi told them as they walked up the hall towards the Hokage's office, "but let's just keep our fingers crossed."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded, and Naruto said confidently, "We'll find one, I'm sure of it!" Kakashi smiled.

"That's the spirit."

Sakura reached out to open the door to Tsunade's office, but before she could, she stopped. "There's still someone in there," she said quietly. "We shou-"

"Sakura," Tsunade's voice interrupted from the inside, "come in and bring everyone with you." Team Kakashi looked at each other, shrugged, and let Sakura open the door.

"Ergh…" was the first thing Naruto said upon entering the room, looking down on his foot. Everyone glanced at it. "I think I stepped on gum."

Tsunade looked annoyed, while Sakura and Sasuke snickered. "You should look where you're going sometimes, Naruto," the pink-haired nin said.

"Well, looks like I'll have to make someone clean that up," Tsunade sighed. "Well, I assume you're here about the Chuunin Exams, am I right?" Team Kakashi all nodded in unison. She smiled slightly. "Well, Ayashi Koun here is actually looking for two teammates as well."

They all turned to the one other person in the room, who reddened slightly at their scrutiny. He was a short, dark green-eyed kid of about twelve or thirteen, with long, messy brown hair in a high ponytail, and wearing baggy khaki shorts and a long sleeved green fatigue shirt. He shyly rubbed his nose and waved at them. Sakura and Naruto grinned at him, happy at the prospect of finding a new teammate so quickly. Sasuke regarded him carefully.

_Hm… he looks okay enough. Judging from that slight build, he could be speedy, but not very good in taijutsu._ He caught sight of the scrolls fastened on a hip holster on Ayashi Koun's waist. _Perhaps he's a weapons master like that Tenten girl, since it looks like he summons. From those long sleeves, it would suggest he is good in having things up his sleeve, literally. The idea of him wearing fatigues is slightly impressive – it means he's smart enough to camouflage himself._

"Hi, Koun-san, I'm Haruno Sakura," the only Chuunin in the assembly said cheerfully. "Why didn't you take the Chuunin Exams with your teammates?"

"When the Chuunin Exams came earlier this year, Sakura-san, I suddenly got sick before the third round started, so I never completed the test," Koun said politely, speaking for the first time. "I wanted to take it again, but both my teammates went on to become Chuunin themselves."

Kakashi nodded. "So you're all right with taking the Chuunin Exams with these two?" he asked, pointing to Sasuke and Naruto.

"If they're okay with it, too," Koun said, nodding.

"What do you think, Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe Kakashi can decide, Naruto," Sasuke muttered.

Then Koun stammered, "S-Sasuke? Naruto? Kakashi? And Sakura-san too? But you're – you're-" He stared at the four, who likewise stared at him, though with questioning faces. Koun looked suddenly excited and intimidated at the same time. "You're that team everyone talks about! Team Kakashi!"

Now said team was bewildered. "I… never really… got the notion… that we were the least bit known," Sakura said, smiling weakly.

But Naruto got over the shock immediately and grinned. "Of course we're known! Your teammate is the future Rokudaime Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto-sama!"

_And I suppose the old Uchiha survivor title hasn't worn out yet_, Sasuke thought smugly.

"Yeah," Koun said, his voice animated now. "You're that team that fell apart because you all wanted to train under different Legendary Sannin, but you got back together again recently!"

Again, Team Kakashi was stunned to silence. _Is that… what other people think of us…?_ Sakura thought. _That we fell apart just because of our training preferences?_ She looked at Koun, who was still amazed at having met such people. _Maybe it's just as well. That means not many people know the scandalous story about us separating ways for a while._ She tried smiling at Koun, but she ended up slightly grimacing. "It's not that… trivial, Koun-san."

Kakashi regained his composure. "Well, Tsunade-sama, I guess I should attend the Chuunin Exam meeting of the jounin instructions. But will you assign all three of them a few D-Rank missions for them to learn how to work together?"

"That's what I planned to do," Tsunade said, nodding. "I officially declare that Ayashi Koun be a temporary member of Team Kakashi, from now on until the end of the Chuunin Exams. Kakashi and Koun's teacher will be needed at the formal ceremony of declaring the genin you'll be entering in the Exam."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi said, bowing. "I'll take care of Koun-chan here." He patted Koun's messy hair, and said boy grimaced a little.

"I hope I'll be able to fit in well," the newest member of the team said. Then he happened to glance at Sasuke and Naruto from behind Kakashi. Color drained from his face as both fellow (but much stronger) genin gave him forbidding looks of deepest loathing. "Er-"

Sakura glanced at the two boys at well, and she knew what Koun had said about their team had irked them greatly. She grinned at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, Koun-san," she said cheerfully. "They won't bite." She gave her two teammates her sweetest, most dangerous smile. Naruto gulped and Sasuke's hair stood on end as an ominous aura glowed around Sakura. She put one fist on each of them, and they shrank at the pressure. "_Right_?"

"Ahehehe, _right_," Naruto said sheepishly, looking up at Sakura.

Sasuke, however, said nothing. For only then had he noticed that sake was spilled on some of Tsunade's documents, a window was cracked, and Koun had both a glass shard in his hair, and his front was wet. His eyes narrowed. _We haven't seen all of this Koun guy yet. We'll see in the missions later._

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_

Sasuke looked over at Naruto and Koun. "Okay," he said. "Kakashi's out on a solo mission, and Sakura's training with the Hokage. It's just us three from here on end. Did you put on your transmitters yet?"

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said impatiently. "Sasuke, you don't have to play leader again – so stop bossing us around!"

"I'm just organizing us," Sasuke said coldly. "If you're not happy about it, you can complain to Kakashi or Sakura."

In the back of Naruto's mind, an evil, menacing laugh echoed forebodingly. To Naruto, it sounded like Sakura's voice, and he made a face. "I won't complain," he said dully. He glanced at Koun. "Well, at least there are two of us." Koun laughed nervously.

"You," Sasuke said, giving Koun a hard stare. "Tell us what you're good at. What your specialty's all about."

"Er, well, I'm a potions master," the brown-haired boy said. "My clan can mix potions and poisons well, and my scrolls here-" he patted the two scrolls on his holster, "-assure that I almost never run out of ingredients. I can administer poisons through a chakra-made pathway to my opponent's body, without using senbon or anything. It's almost undetected, just like the chakra strings of a puppet master. It's like an invisible chakra injection."

"Anything else?"

Koun looked self-conscious as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm a little speedy, but I'm not particularly good in taijutsu. I'm no good in genjutsu, but I know a few secret ninjutsu that's taught only in our clan. But that's it, Sasuke-san."

Sasuke sighed heavily. "Well, there's no helping it. We'll have to carry the team ourselves, Naruto."

"Yeah, don't worry, Koun!" Naruto said loudly, clapping Koun on the back so hard he almost toppled. "We'll help you get through it!" Koun nodded.

Sasuke looked at his watch. "We're expected at the daimyo's castle now. We'll scan the perimeter for the target."

Naruto grumbled as they leapt into the foliage surrounding the daimyo's castle. "Can't we just call it the old lady's cat?"

"It's called protocol, freaking idiot," Sasuke snapped. "Besides, you know how the daimyo's wife can get – she beat your head the last time she lost her cat and you called her old lady."

They continued on, and split up in search of the feline. "I've found cat scratches on the bark – freshly made, from the looks of it," Koun's voice crackled in their transmitters. "I'm 45 meters 20 degrees from your position, Naruto-san." Naruto then chose that time to reply with a cuttingly witty remark.

"Huh?"

Sasuke bristled. "I'll go," he said curtly, turning to the direction where Koun was supposed to be. Naruto, meanwhile, saw from afar Sasuke's movement towards Koun's position.

His jaw dropped when a second after Sasuke jumped away, the tabby cat's head popped out of the bushes, mewling innocently. "GYAH!" Naruto yelled into the transmitter, making his teammates wince. "The cat's in where you were last, Sasuke!"

"_What_?" Sasuke hissed, and glared at Koun. _If this kid didn't call for help in the first place…_ He shook his head and beckoned for Koun to follow him. _No use dwelling on the past._ They met up with Naruto, already giving chase to the cat. "Okay, let's split up and surround the cat. Naruto, make Kage Bunshin then."

"No problem." Naruto created four bunshin, and they spread out in four directions. The chase ended in a clearing, where the cat halted, clearly cornered. The feline froze, seeming to think of a next move.

Sasuke was several steps ahead of it. Two bunshin each were at the southwest and southeast position of the cat; Sasuke was at the east; Naruto was at the west; Koun was at the north. "Koun," the raven-haired boy muttered in his mouthpiece, "do you have a very mild paralysis potion?"

"I'm fully stocked," Koun said.

"Administer some to the target," Sasuke ordered.

"Roger." Sasuke watched as Koun formed the seal to create his so-called "chakra injection." The newbie stepped forward to better aim his arm.

Sasuke knew it was too late to shout a warning when Koun set his foot on soft, slippery moss growth on the tree branch. With a startled yell, Koun slipped from the branch, crashing down in the bushes below him.

Sasuke did not have the time to slap his hand into his face as the cat darted from the clearing. "Get it, Naruto!" he yelled. Reacting quickly, the blond dived at the tabby, but it frantically clawed its way out of his grasp, leaving scratch marks on his face.

"EYOWCH!" Naruto yelled, rubbing his scratch-laden face as Sasuke zipped past him, Koun scrambling after his wake.

The cat eluded every attempt the three genin made to grab it without hurting it, and Naruto and Sasuke were having second thoughts about being gentle. Naruto made a grab for its tail, missed, and promptly landed on the ground. The cat kept scampering away, and Sasuke had half a mind to pin it down with a kunai.

But then Koun yelled from behind, "Sasuke-san! It's going to those bushes!"

"I know!" Sasuke snarled, diving into the bushes after the cat. After some violent mewling, vicious snarling, and a furious romp in the bushes, Naruto and Koun watched as Sasuke emerged, scratched but triumphant, holding the cat, now tied with string and meowing resignedly. "Here," he said, tossing the cat to Naruto, who deftly caught it.

"Good one, Sasuke-san!" Koun cheered politely. Sasuke rolled his eyes, but said nothing, only scratching his arm, which started to itch strangely.

He scratched his arm, but then his shoulder started to itch. When he reached up to scratch it, the itch moved to his neck. Which scratched madly at his neck, the itch started to spread down to his chest, stomach, legs, down _there_… everywhere. "What the hell…?" he mumbled, scratching everywhere. His skin felt as though sand and feathers started rubbing him all over.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?" Naruto inquired as he put the cat in a carrier. Sasuke, by then, had become frantic with scratching.

"It… itches!" he growled. "I can't – I can't stop it!"

"Sasuke-san!" Koun exclaimed, pointing to the bush Sasuke had untangled himself from. "You… you – er-"

"_What_?" Sasuke snarled, starting to get marks all over his skin and face.

"I think… you just dived into poison ivy."

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Minutes later, Sasuke was covered in the liniment Koun had made for him. His face, arms, and legs were, thankfully, itch-free, but now they were covered in pink gunk. The onyx-eyed prodigy could only mutter curses as they went to do their next mission. Naruto, whose scratch marks had some ointment – again, courtesy of Koun, grinned at Sasuke. "Well, I guess the next job's easier," he said. "We only have to carve out stairs on the Hokage Mountain for the civilians. No big deal!"

Sasuke grumbled a string of profanities that would have evaporated ink if it were attempted to be written. Koun only smiled uncomfortably, and unease settled on the new genin team. They walked to the Hokage Mountain in silence.

They settled themselves in their workplace, and Sasuke explained how they would work. "This is how we'll do it," he explained. "We'll put explosive tags in strategic places, like so-" he showed them a diagram of the plan, "-as ordered by Hokage-sama. Says here, we have to use chakra to hold down the earth when the tags explode. I have the best chakra control, so that's my job. Naruto, you throw the kunai to set off the explosive tags. You-" he shot a sharp look at Koun, "-set the tags, then just stay back."

Koun nodded quickly, getting the point, while Naruto nonchalantly twirled the kunai by its handle. Koun set to work by placing the explosive tags in the places indicated in the diagram. Naruto, sitting just above them, observed the pre-teen closely.

_He's pretty okay,_ Naruto thought. _He's nice, and he's not bossy and rude and jerky like Sasuke. But why is it I have a bad feeling about him?_ The blond scratched his head. _It's like, every time he opens his mouth… bad stuff happens…_

"Oi, Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, disrupting his thoughts. "Throw the kunai already!"

_Mfft, he has no right no be bossy_, Naruto thought darkly as he aimed the kunai with the explosive tag attached to it. _Maybe if I threw this explosive tag into his head…_ He shook his head and threw it at the point Sasuke marked out.

There was an explosion, and when the dust cleared, sure enough, a step had been formed. Koun leapt up to Naruto's position, not wanting to be near an irritable Uchiha. "It's amazing, isn't it?" he said to Naruto when only about ten steps were left to be made. "Hokage-sama sure is smart – to be able to come up with this kind of construction method…"

Naruto sat on a log, preparing the next kunai. "Yeah, I guess," he said, shifting to let Koun sit with him. He moved to stand up. "I guess I'll just – dwah?" He found that he couldn't stand up. "Gah!" he exclaimed in panic. "My pants' butt is stuck to the log!" _It musta snagged when I moved to let him sit!_

"Oh my," Koun said worriedly. "If you stand up, your pants might get ripped, Naruto-san!"

_Like I don't know that?_ Naruto cried out loud in his head. "Just do it!" he said irritably, handing Koun the kunai. The younger one looked nervous, but seemed to decide Naruto's face looked scarier. _Mattaku_, Naruto thought, fuming, _that guy's a JINX!_

"Oi! Is anyone throwing the kunai or what?" Sasuke yelled. Koun jumped and fumbled a little with the kunai, looking nervous. He aimed the knife where the diagram directed, fidgeting a little and seemingly hesitant. Naruto was too busy with his pants.

_What's that Naruto doing, dammit? _Sasuke yelled again, "Losing chakra here!"

"Y-yeah!" Koun replied, jumping in surprise and throwing the kunai before he could mentally prepare. Sasuke looked up, confused to hear Koun's voice, but this took him the nanosecond to dodge the explosive tag-attached kunai flying towards him before-

_KABOOM!_

-the ground exploded in his face.

"_KOUN!_"

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"I'm really sorry, Sasuke-san!" Koun said over and over again as Sasuke growled another long string of obscenities while he brushed away the debris of the explosion hadn't been fatal, but it certainly meant Sasuke's clothes needed lots of washing and drying cycles in the washing machine.

"Naruto, why the hell did you let this guy do your job?" he seethed.

"My pants' butt got freakin' stuck on a log!" Naruto yelled. He had pulled free of that snag, but a portion of his underpants was showing. To hide it, he put his weapon pouch in front of it, so that the pouch looked awkwardly fastened.

"Sasuke-san, Naruto-san, it's really my fault," Koun protested. "I wasn't careful enough-"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke interrupted gruffly, though both Inner-Sasuke and Inner-Naruto certainly agreed on one thing – it _did_ matter, and they would kill this preteen when they had a chance. "Let's just get this thing done."

The steps that had been formed by the last explosion were craggly, and debris was still all over the place. Sasuke tossed a deck brush to Koun, and kept one for himself. "We'll sweep the debris off to smoothen the steps," he said. "Naruto, you fix the sides of the stairs."

The three worked in heavy silence. The tension in the atmosphere was as thick as cream. All three concentrated on their work instead. Naruto used his chakra to scale the wall on which the stairs were built and began cleaning the sides with another deckbrush.

_That guy…_ Naruto seethed silently. _I_ knew _it! He's a freakin' junx! Why does he have to be our only choice? No matter how great of a ninja I am, and no matter how good a support Sasuke is, it gets cancelled out because of the stupid bad luck that comes from Koun! He-_

Suddenly rocks and dust showered over him. "What the-"

"Oh, sorry, Naruto-san!" Koun called apologetically from above. "I didn't know you were there!"

"This idiot…" Naruto growled under his breath, restraining himself from beating the boy up and comforted himself instead by thinking of the various ways he could kill him. He went back to work, still grumbling. "Hopefully it doesn't happen to often- hey!" Another pile of dust landed on his golden hair and broad shoulders. Koun yelled out an apology again.

Throughout the task, no matter where Naruto moved, Koun seemed to be there, ready to dump a fresh pile of debris on him. _If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was doing it on purpose!_ he thought as Koun apologized over and over again. The blond restrained himself from jumping up and wringing Koun's neck, as he knew he would receive two beatings – one from Sasuke for not doing his job (not that it mattered – he was _still_ the better ninja), and one from Sakura for mistreating Koun (why it mattered was self-explanatory – it was _Sakura_.)

After Koun's sixth apology, Naruto was determined to dodge. He finished the portion of the wall quickly and waited for the rain of dirt to come.

It came. The blond fox moved to the side. Koun looked to check if he had covered Naruto again. Seeing he had missed, he sighed in relief. "It's good you managed to dodge it, Naruto-san!" he called happily. Then he went back to work.

Several happened at that moment when Koun retracted his head from Naruto's view. The newbie yelled, "Naruto-san, look out!" And by instinct, our favorite hyperactive ninja looked up to see what he had to look out for-

SPLAT!

-and got a face full of bird poo as a result.

"_GYAAAAAAAAAARGH_!" Naruto shrieked, taking his chakra concentrated hands, the only ones keeping him on the wall, to wipe off the excrement from his face. This was a mistake.

"Oi, Naruto!" Sasuke managed to shout before Naruto plunged into the dense tree growth below.

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It was now mid-afternoon, and if the tension was as thick as cream before, it was as pretty much rubbery now. Not one of them spoke, and it was a good thing each of them had an individual thing to do for the mission. _Meaning no contact whatsoever till the end of the mission,_ Sasuke thought in vindictive relief. They reached the parameter that surrounded the Konoha walls, and Sasuke muttered loud enough for everybody to hear, "We'll meet here in 2 hours."

He was about to jump off to his direction of the forest when Naruto called out, "Hey Sasuke! Can I talk to you – alone?"

Sasuke waited for Naruto to catch up to him. "What is it?"

"I have a serious theory about that Koun guy," Naruto muttered and Sasuke raised his eyebrows.

"He's out to get us by humiliating us in various torturous forms?"

"NO! I meant, he's a jinx!"

Sasuke stared at him, then scoffed. "There's no such thing as a jinx."

"But look at it!" Naruto protested. "Every time he opens his mouth, bad stuff happens!"

"If that _is_ true, then we'll be far from him if he ever botches up anything."

"It's _baaaaad_, I tell you. We're setting traps around Konoha, and now, he's a magnet for more trouble than ever!"

"Well, as long as we keep our distance from him, we'll be okay," Sasuke said briskly. "Now get to work – I wanna be home by dinner."

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Naruto dusted his hands after securing the last trap. It was good Sakura had taught him a thing or two about setting traps – they were told to be creative and he didn't exactly have anything in mind. _I always worked better under pressure, anyway._

He stood up and picked up the diagram he made for the report, making sure not to step on any alarms. He wondered whether or not his teammates were done. With a kind of rueful acknowledgement, he knew Sasuke had probably finished long before he had. Sure enough, Sasuke came jumping into view minutes later. "Oi, you done?" he asked, landing where Naruto was sitting. The jinchuuriki almost wished the Uchiha had tripped one of the alarms.

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said impatiently. "Now can we hand our mission report and go home?" _With any luck, you've forgotten we have to go and check on Koun_, he added silently.

"No," Sasuke said, picking up the scroll of the diagram of Naruto's traps. "I have to check on your work first, then go to Koun and check his work."

"Are you NUTS?" Naruto yelled in Sasuke's ear, and the raven-haired prodigy gave him the finger. "The moment we go to that jinx's part of the forest, we'll get blown to bits by his traps!"

"Tsunade-sama required me to check, okay?" Sasuke said irritably as he verified Naruto's traps. "Hey, where does this connect?"

"Over there," Naruto pointed. "Anyway, are you really sure you wanna die without finishing things? I mean, sure, you could come back, like, as a ghost and haunt Itachi to death, but-"

"Naruto," Sasuke interrupted, "there. Is. No. Such. Thing. As. A. Jinx. If you're a real shinobi, then get over that superstitious nonsense!"

"We'll just see when we get to Koun's position," Naruto muttered under his breath. "I'll be sure to rub it in your face when we're running for our lives."

"I'll remember that, freakin' idiot," Sasuke said as he rolled up the scroll. "Let's go."

"Hey, Sasuke-san, Naruto-san!" Koun waved as the two approached his position. "Over here!" Naruto looked at Sasuke cautiously, but the latter rolled his eyes and landed on the tree branch. "I made sure I made a diagram before you came," he added, handing Sasuke a scroll. "So you can check things up."

"Right," Sasuke said, looking at the first trap on the diagram. Koun looked as eager as a beaver as he hovered under Sasuke's elbow. The Uchiha prodigy could easily see that their newest member seemed proud and excited to show his work.

They walked over to the first trap, Naruto following carefully. "See here?" Koun said enthusiastically. "I made this trap carefully. If you'll see, the mechanisms are camouflaged well, and the enemies won't even feel that they've tripped the alarm since I made the string hypersensitive, like this-"

"Koun, NO!" Sasuke yelled as Koun touched the string.

They heard a few grunts and squeaks of several gears. Sasuke frantically checked the diagram. _The kunai are going to be heading straight for_-

He had no time to think as about twenty kunai came whizzing into view from the foliage, heading straight for Naruto. The blond gave a squeak.

"RUN NARUTO!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto jumped to his feet and ran as the kunai came one after another towards him. He dodged, ducked, and jumped, barely missing the kunai. Finally, the barrage stopped. "Phew, that was-"

"Naruto-san!" Koun shouted frenetically. "There's still a second-"

The second batch, of course, was deadlier than the first, as Naruto's luck would have had it. There were about forty kunai whistling in the wind, and would bleed him dry if he didn't dodge. Sasuke cursed mentally and jumped into the fray, pulling Naruto away from the direction of the sharp knives.

"I _told_ you! I _TOLD_ you!" Naruto shrieked in panic as they rolled to a stop and the kunai all landed with several _thuds_ harmlessly on the ground and trees.

Then they heard ominous hissing. Sasuke's and Naruto's hair stood on end as they realized what could make that unique hissing sound. Koun mumbled nervously, "I never told you that there's still-"

_A four point field of exploding tags,_ Sasuke thought helplessly, seeing sparks on the trees that surrounded them.

"Sasuke, jump for it!" Naruto yelled, and his onyx-eyed teammate complied wordlessly. As they were in hang-time in the air, the tags exploded, and the two were sent flying in the impact and landed in bushes.

The boys were now dizzy with all the unexpected traps and the profanities running through their heads. Sasuke wavered in his step as he stood up from the bush, and felt his foot sink on another string.

"Oh no."

A large log came swinging down on them, and there was nowhere to run.

_The diagram was of no use after all…_ Koun said to himself nervously as both boys screamed.

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Sakura had a wonderful day. Tsunade had taught her several new things, but now she was tired and hungry, and her muscles and head ached with all the training and reading she had done throughout the day, but then again, she felt great. _This only means I'm actually learning,_ she thought cheerfully. _I'm pretty sure I'm catching up to Naruto and Sasuke now!_

She pushed the heavy doors of the manor gate open, and sang happily, "I'm hoome!"

"Welcome back," her two boys greeted sullenly, all covered in bandages and ointment. They glared at her, as if being cheerful was now a crime.

"Ohmygoodness!" she gasped, dropping her bag and examining their injuries. "What happened? Were you attacked? Did you get into an accident?" She was by their side a moment after, and as she treated their scratches and sprains, she wished she hadn't wasted so much chakra at practice – she had none to use now.

As she dabbed ointment at Naruto's bruise, he suddenly burst out, "I _told_ Sasuke Koun was a jinx! But did he listen? _Nooooo_, he just HAD to go and-"

"How was I supposed to know that something like that would happen?" Sasuke retorted. "I didn't think I should believe-"

"That jinxes exist? Sure they do! Just look at Koun!"

"Okay, okay!" Sakura exclaimed confusedly. "What's this about Koun being a jinx?"

Naruto suddenly burst into a frantic, rambunctious explanation of their day with their fellow genin, complete with arm-flailing and sound effects, so that Sakura almost felt she was watching a movie. "And the log came swinging down, and it was like – BOOM! And stars were just, like, sparkling all around. I swear Sakura-chan, every time that guy opened his mouth-"

"-catastrophe seems to follow," Sasuke said, nodding. "I can't help but notice it as well. Damn – I don't believe in superstitions, but…"

Sakura thumped her fist lightly on her palm. "I'm a medic nin, and both of you know I'm widely read. I just don't believe in these kinds of things either, basing on all the stuff I've read through the years. Are you sure there isn't anything else wrong?" Both of them nodded, and she raised an eyebrow. "Well, since I'm the type to disprove these things, then I decide – I'm going to call Koun up and tell him to meet us at our old training ground."

"What for?" Naruto asked.

"What else?" Sakura replied rhetorically. "I'm going to oversee your training – all of you – tomorrow! And _then_ I'll show you there's no such thing as a jinx."

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No amount of persuasion could dissuade Sakura from coming with them to train with Koun. Right after dinner, she locked herself in her room, announcing beforehand she would lay out her plans for their training session. "After all, it's my duty as a chuunin to make sure you come prepared," she exclaimed.

Sakura was up almost as early as Sasuke the next day – a feat in itself since she had been up all night devising her training plan. To Sasuke's surprise, she joined him in his daily kata, falling into rhythm with him as he did a few stretches. "You're up early," he commented.

"I called Koun up and told him we'd be meeting him at eight today," she said cheerfully, following his movements. "I even woke Naruto up, and he's just about finished dressing up. Too bad Kakashi-sensei couldn't make it though – he's overseeing the entry of the foreign genin for the Exam."

Sasuke's stomach did a couple of flip-flops as he thought about the Exam. Somehow, even after having taken it before, he was nervous to do it again. Nevertheless, he coolly quirked an eyebrow at Sakura and said as-a-matter-of-factly, "You're determined to see this through."

Sakura glared at him. "I'm not about to let you compromise your teamwork because of some silly superstition." Sasuke only shook his head amusedly.

They had been warming up for twenty minutes when Naruto came out into the courtyard, fixing his hitai-ate and looking grim. "Okay team," he said with foreboding, "let's get this over with."

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Koun was already there in the training grounds, squatting on the grass while mixing something in a small pot when they arrived. Sasuke and Naruto looked at him with distrust, but Sakura strode up confidently to him. "Good morning, Koun!" she greeted. Naruto bristled at her familiarity when she left out the honorific. "What's that?" She crouched beside him as he added more ingredients into the pot.

Koun looked delighted at her interest. "I'm making an energy potion for everyone. It's much more potent than Soldier Pills, and doesn't put as much stress in the body. My clan is still working on how to put it in pill for though."

"You're clan's made up of potioneers?" Sakura asked. Koun nodded enthusiastically as he shredded some rosemary and tossed them into the mix. "Interesting!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed, peering over his shoulder. "You put rosemary to calm the person down – too much energy _would_ stress him out! How ingenious!"

"Whoa, you really _are_ Tsunade-sama's student," Koun said wonderingly. "Only someone of such caliber could put it that way." (Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and shared the same thought – _Kiss-Up_.) "As you see, Sakura-san, I'll be putting in some lavender-" He tossed a handful into the pot. "See?" He brought it closer to Sakura for a closer look.

Sakura looked closer at the mixture as it bubbled a little. Suddenly, it bubbled and smoked, and Sakura gasped in surprise, breathing in the thick fumes that were forming. "Gnnn…?" Her eyes slid in and out of focus, and she felt nauseous.

Then she slumped to the ground, knocked out, eyes swirling comically.

As Naruto and Sasuke sprinted forward, glaring at Koun, the youngest of the four could only mumble sheepishly,

"Too much lavender?"

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Sakura managed to wake up when Naruto sprinkled cold water on her face. Still, they had to be amazed at the amount of patience she had with Koun; she only laughed when Koun apologized repeatedly. "Honestly, Koun, it's fine!" she insisted, grinning. "You'll forget about it once we get to training!"

Sakura then laid out her plans. "This is what we'll do. Somewhere in the forest that surrounds us is a small shrine – I'm sure the three of you know the shrine of the ninja deity, Kishimoto, in this forest?" All three nodded. "The challenge is to get a sunflower from the sunflower grove in a clearing somewhere in this forest, and offer it up to the god first. We can stop each other if we want – set traps, do an ambush, whatever, as long it's nothing lethal."

"We'll do it in teams then," Sasuke said. "We'll have it two-on-two, to improve on teamwork. Now who-"

He paused. To be honest with himself, he didn't want to team up with Koun, but he knew Naruto would avoid them both and want to be Sakura's partner. He didn't want Koun teamed up with her either – seeing how Koun knocked her out without even touching her. His teammates were staring at him questioningly. "_You_ decide, Sakura," he said, giving up.

"Well, I think Sasuke and Naruto should team up – I still think you need to work on your teamwork," Sakura decided. "That leaves me with Koun."

"But Sakura-chan, are you su-"

Sakura sent Naruto a warning look, and he closed his mouth. "I want to see how our temporary teammate fights," she explained. "Although I know we're both on support and both of you are front-liners, I think its better I know about him."

_It's your funeral_, Sasuke thought, but he felt slightly uneasy.

The four of them jumped into the forest to begin. "Now listen up, Koun," Sakura instructed, "the sunflower grove is in the middle of the forest, halfway from the shrine. Sasuke is one of the fastest people I know, and knowing Naruto, he'd try to keep at the same pace. We'll lose in terms of speed. This is what we'll do…" She talked to him in hushed tones, formulating a plan.

Sasuke and Naruto moved forward, the former realizing that neither Sakura nor Koun was making a move. "It's too quiet," he told Naruto. "Keep your guard up."

"Sure!" Naruto said enthusiastically. "I'm going to sense them, no problem!"

Sasuke glared at him. "Keep your mouth shut too – they'll detect our position if you keep blabbing like that." Naruto stuck out his tongue.

"Kind of too late for that though," Sakura murmured, looking through the foliage to see Sasuke and Naruto almost by their way. She and Koun moved in the shadows quietly, and when Sasuke and Naruto passed under them, both of them threw two balls towards them.

"What the-" Sasuke managed to say before the balls broke to release some purple gas.

Sakura and Koun leapt away before they could breathe in the paralysis gas. "That should keep them there for about a minute," Koun said.

True enough, a minute went by, and Sakura found a black blur racing about three meters to her side. "Koun!" she said, "get ready, here they come!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled from somewhere in the forest. Sakura looked left, right, and found Naruto nowhere.

"Sakura-san, above!" Koun shouted.

It was too late, as five shadow clones landed on Koun and Sakura, wrestling them to the ground. "See ya!" Naruto said cheerfully, jumping off, as Sakura struggled while the bunshin pinned her arms behind her and her head to the ground.

It took a few acrobatic escape moves for Koun and Sakura to wriggle out of the bunshins' grasp and a few kicks and punches to dissipate them right away. "Pump your chakra into your legs, Koun – we'll have to make up for lost time!" Sakura yelled. They traveled as fast as they could to catch up to the two.

Sakura jumped from a tree branch and made mental note to avoid the weak wood that she spotted before she leapt. But as she stayed in midair, Koun wrongly chose that time to say, "Sakura-san! They're over there!"

Sakura turned in surprise just as she was about to land, and promptly got her foot stuck in the hole it made through the weak wood. Sakura punched the wood into dust, and Koun gaped at her. "No time to stare!" she said. "We might lose them!" She pulled Koun up and followed the soft sound of Sasuke and Naruto's distant steps.

There was light at the end of their path, and Sakura exclaimed, "There's the clearing! We'll just grab the flower and go!" As fast as they could, they landed on the sunflower grove, and Sakura plucked the first sunflower she could touch. Without any more words, she forced more chakra into her legs, forcing Koun to do the same so he could catch up.

She could see the back of Sasuke's shirt already, and she signaled Koun to be quiet so they could ambush him and Naruto. Koun nodded. Up ahead, Sakura could something shining in the empty space between two trees. _Metal string,_ she said to herself. _I'm not stupid enough to fall for_-

"Sakura-san!" Koun whispered urgently, and Sakura turned to look at him. "Look-"

The pink-haired medic landed into the web of string the boys made. "Kya! Koun, help!" Sakura struggled at her entanglement, and Koun tugged at the string, but suddenly, there was a creaking sound in the branch wherein the strings were attached.

"Don't tug at the string!" Sakura screamed in panic, but the branch gave way and she fell to the ground, which rolled downhill towards the shrine. The more Sakura struggled, the more she got entangled with the string, and the more she rolled down the hill.

As Sasuke and Naruto carefully put their sunflower into the vase built into the altar, they heard a feminine scream coming nearer. They turned to see Sakura roll down the steep hill, entangled in the string, dirty and with leaves and twigs in her hair. "Help!" she shrieked, and they realized she was about to crash towards the log in her way.

Acting quickly, Sasuke leapt and carried her away from the ground, setting her down near the shrine. The disheveled kunoichi, still dizzy after her roll down the hill, stood unsteadily on the ground, swaying on her feet, but thankfully, Naruto managed to catch her before she fell flat on the ground. "That trap wasn't supposed to do _this_ much damage," he said. Sakura glared hazily at him.

"_Don't_ rub it in."

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"I'm really, truly sorry, Sakura-san!" Koun said, tearing up shamefacedly. Sasuke grimaced as Koun bowed prostate before Sakura, who was cleaning her scratches. "I didn't mean for this to happen! I'm sorry!"

"I _told_ you so, though," Naruto muttered to Sakura. "He _is_ a ji-"

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed warningly.

Koun looked rather sad and pitiful. It _is_ true, Sakura-san!" he woefully admitted, and even Naruto looked surprised. "Even with my old teammates, I was the only one who held them back. Every time I opened my mouth, bad things seem to happen. That's why, without me, they managed to pass the Exams." Fresh tears burst out of the youth's face, and the older ones looked startled. "WAAAAAAAH! I'm a _failure_!"

"No you're not, Koun!" Sakura said soothingly, patting his shoulder awkwardly as he sniffled and sobbed pathetically. "I'm sure we can work this out somehow! Um… I'm sure if we trained you…"

"No… I'm unlucky!" Koun wailed. "Everyone who gets near me gets injured or humiliated in some way! I'm a _jinx_!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the wretched genin, while Naruto made a face between discomfort and pity. Sakura desperately searched her mind of anything that could help him. _There must be a scientific explanation for all this! It must be a psychological problem!_ As she patted Koun's head, she tried to remember all the psychology books she had read. She raised her head abruptly, a smile spreading across her face. "I've got it!"

"No, no, you've _lost _it," Naruto said glumly. "There's nothing to smile about, Sakura-chan." Sakura hit him in the back of the head. "OW!"

"When I said I've got it, I've got it!" Sakura exclaimed. "You see, I've read somewhere that luck is just timing. If you have good timing, like knowing when to go to the grocery while the vegetables are still fresh, or in the ninja context, knowing when to duck when a kunai comes flying towards you, you're lucky. In contrast, if you don't know when to duck, or if you duck at the wrong time, you're pretty unlucky."

Koun looked up, looking hopeful. Sasuke analyzed Sakura's words carefully. "Then," he said, his mind working quickly, "if we trained Koun to have better timing, then he'd become "luckier," correct?" Sakura nodded enthusiastically.

"The question that remains now though," Sakura asked, "is how do you train him?"

Sasuke was quiet for a few moments, staring into space. They waited for an epiphany. Then it seemed to dawn on him as he looked at Naruto. "I know…"

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"This is what we'll do for the next two and a half days," Sasuke said after lunch. "Naruto will be blindfolded, and Sakura and I will take turns attacking him. Koun's job will be to tell Naruto when to duck or dodge."

Naruto moaned, "Why does it have to be _meeeee_?"

Sakura grinned at him, while Sasuke smirked. "Because you have the most endurance," the kunoichi of the four said cheerfully. "Don't worry – I'll be on hand in case the blow is fatal." She sounded as if throwing kunai at a blindfolded friend on purpose was an everyday occurrence.

"I'm going to haunt you guys for this if I die," Naruto grumbled, putting on the blindfold.

And so for the next two days, the three put Koun through an intense timing training, which often shook his nerves. The first few times, Naruto kept getting hurt, and Koun often had to be told to stop so he could calm down. "You won't be able to do it if you don't keep a clear head," Sasuke said impatiently as they went through their third round on the day after they made the training regimen.

"I – I'll try harder next time," Koun promised, though it was obvious to the three that his heart was pounding like crazy.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said as she healed Naruto's wounds, "don't make him nervous. Koun, take a couple of deep breaths, and we'll try again."

On and on they went, until on sunset on the second day, they were all exhausted – Sakura was suffering from loss of chakra that she had to share Naruto's chakra when healing him, Naruto had lost a great amount of blood that he had to take some Blood Formation pills, while Sasuke, though he had lost nothing but his patience, was on the verge of wringing Koun's body of its bodily fluids. However, it seemed clear to Sakura and Naruto that it took only one more try to perfect Koun's timing.

"Okay, this'll have to be the last, _ever_," Naruto said, standing up again after replenishing his strength. "I'm too tired already." He put on the blindfold again while Sasuke, Sakura and Koun took their respective places in the clearing. "Let's start already." Sasuke moved at one side of the clearing, while Sakura circled in the other. Koun stayed in the branches just above Naruto.

The spar started. Sasuke jumped up and aimed a kunai at Naruto's head. As it whizzed towards the blond, Koun waited for the right moment, then- "Duck!" Naruto bent down low.

The kunai stuck harmlessly on the ground. But they could breathe yet as Sakura appeared a few meters left of Naruto, kneeling on one knee, and threw three kunai at Naruto's feet. "Jump to the right!" Koun yelled, and the kunai missed Naruto by a hairsbreadth.

Sasuke was already in air and threw a batch of shuriken at Naruto. "Roll forward!" Again, the shuriken landed on the ground, barely missing Naruto. Sakura aimed at Naruto's head on the ground, and Koun yelled, "Flip to the left!" Naruto pushed his hand against the ground for leverage and flipped out of harm's way.

Sasuke, now on the ground, threw a handful of kunai at Naruto. "Kawarimi!" Koun managed to say, and the thuds on wood as the smoke cleared meant Naruto had done it. He reappeared in the far end of the clearing. Sakura ran to him, kunai at hand. "Block the kunai with your own!"

Naruto hurriedly whipped out his kunai and there was a resounding _klang_ when his kunai met Sakura's. At first, they were at a deadlock, but suddenly Sakura crouched low to sweep her leg towards Naruto's feet. "Jump!" Koun said, and Naruto managed to miss Sakura's feet – this was a major improvement, since before Koun couldn't see the attack coming till it came, therefore couldn't warn Naruto.

Sasuke came hurtling out of nowhere, ready to stab Naruto at the back. "Flip to the right!" Koun instructed, and Naruto did as he said. Sakura jumped up in the air for a shuriken attack. "Throw your kunai horizontally forty-five degrees!" Naruto, estimating forty-five degrees, threw the kunai horizontally so that it spun in the air and deflected the kunai.

Sakura landed back on the ground and she and Sasuke launched themselves simultaneously for a final attack at both sides. "Attack with Kage Bunshin directly to your right and left!" Koun yelled.

Naruto quickly made the Kage Bunshin and both of them wrestled Sasuke and Sakura on the ground. "It's over," Koun sighed, and Naruto took off his blindfold grinning. Sakura and Sasuke stood up, dusting themselves. The female of the two beamed.

"Perfect."

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The next two days found the whole team in jitters, even if Sasuke and Naruto didn't want to show it. Sakura, in her deep concern for them to become Chuunin, made a training regimen for all three of them, and had thus far interfered so much they were afraid that it was illegal. Their last two mornings before the exam was filled with early morning physical training with Kakashi-sensei, who had time in the mornings to supervise them.

"Come on," he would say cheerily as he read his orange book, "just 57 laps more around the compound and you can have your breakfast!" And the three of them could only groan in exhaustion. "Remember, no chakra, just stamina!"

Sakura, who could jump alongside them (a less tiring task), cheered them on. "Come on, Koun, Sasuke-kun, Naruto!" she exclaimed happily. "I know you can do it! Just a few more laps and you can eat that high protein breakfast I made you all!"

After breakfast would come the worst part of the day – endurance training with Sakura, who turned out to be even more of a slave driver than Kakashi-sensei. This endurance training consisted of carrying boulders from one end of the Uchiha compound to the other ten times in twenty minutes, hanging upside down on slippery rocks in a cave outside Konoha for thirty minutes, using chakra, and (suspiciously) running to and fro in town gathering the things Sakura had listed down for them in ten minutes.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun!" Ino had exclaimed when said boy entered the flower shop in a hurry, to pick up Sakura's order of a few zinnia seeds. "How nice of you to come!" She flipped her blonde hair flirtatiously. "Did you come to visit me?"

"Just give me Sakura's damn seeds," Sasuke growled impatiently – Ino's playful banter had cost him four seconds of time. _I wonder if she's in on this…_

Then they repeated the first two tasks until four in the afternoon. "I think…" Naruto panted as they took a water break, "Sakura-chan could work under Ibiki-sensei in the Torture and Interrogation thing. She's got torture down to the dot, anyway."

"She could _replace_ him," Koun corrected after taking a huge gulp of water. "Do you know how many of my muscles are probably dead by now?"

In the late afternoon, they would meditate for two hours, something that Sakura said would help calm their nerves and let them think, as well as increase their chakra. However, sitting still just wasn't Naruto's thing, and it would take him several tries to settle down, only to have his leg fall asleep because of the wrong positions he would take.

They would then eat an early protein filled dinner, and after making sure they had eaten as much as they could, Sakura would force them to spar two-way. "That way, you would be trained if anyone were to attack you and you were alone," she said.

Finally, their exhausting days were concluded with Sakura dumping various scrolls on them to study. Knowing what might come out in the Written Exam, she tutored them on various things – from the vector quantities of the shuriken they threw to the different landmarks in the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

Then, they would collapse into sleep without so much as a bath. On the night before the Exams, as Sakura looked up from her thick novel, she found her three boys sleeping side by side, Koun snoring the loudest, Naruto's limbs all over the place, and Sasuke's face stuck on the scroll he had been reading. She laughed lightly and gently pushed them aside so they could get into a good sleeping position. Then she threw a blanket over the three of them.

Then she stood up and arranged their weapon pouches with things that could come in handy. She remembered how, as first timers in the Exam, Naruto had to dive to get their meal of fish. She put a small pack of crackers and a piece of candy in each of their pouches – they would have to make do with small food. As she organized their pouches, she went into reminiscing about their first Chuunin Exam.

It was the first time she had seen Naruto pass a written exam. The first time she had experienced being comforted by Sasuke in her time of self-doubt. The first time she had met Lee's team. The first time she had made friends with Ino after a long time. And then…

It was the first time she faced certain death. The first time she had to protect her friends instead of the other way around. The first time she truly blossomed as a ninja. And the first time she had seen the face of the man she now despised the most – _Orochimaru_.

_I hope nothing happens this time,_ Sakura thought, casting a look on the genins' sleeping faces. _I'd die if something happened and I wasn't there to…_

"You sure are concerned."

Sakura turned to see Kakashi smiling at her through his mask. "Kakashi-sensei! You done with the genin registry?"

He nodded. "You're acting like a mother about to send her child to school for the first time," he commented, and Sakura giggled. "They'll be fine without you, you know. You know Sasuke and Naruto – they're stubborn."

"I know, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, sighing. "I just want to feel part of it, too. I want to feel part of their struggle."

Kakashi crouched beside his female student and pat her head. "You know you are. They're doing this for you, after all."

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"Got everything?" Sakura asked, "Weapons, scrolls, water jugs, exam permits, breath mints, extra underwear?"

"_SAKURA_!" the three of them exclaimed, looking scandalized. Sakura laughed mischievously.

"You guys sound like girls," she said, grinning cattily. Then she turned serious. "I know you probably have a million chances to take this Exam, and you actually don't have to take it to let people know you're strong-"

"-but we actually want to be assigned the same missions as you," Sasuke said pointedly. "We know that titles don't matter-"

"-but togetherness matters!" Naruto exclaimed cheerfully. "So we'll definitely pass this exam to be with you, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura's smile turned crooked, and Naruto and Sasuke immediately knew she was close to tears. "Thanks," Sakura said, her voice a little broken.

They stood staring at one another meaningfully, and Koun finally understood the bond that connected these three. _I guess they could have never separated for such a shallow reason,_ he thought. _There must have been more to their story – they seem too close to be separated._

"Well, time to go," Sasuke said, turning on his heel to the direction of the Academy, where the Written Exams were to be held.

The two others turned to follow him. "Wait!" Sakura suddenly said, and they stopped. She ran after them. Bending over, she gave Koun a short peck on the forehead, and tiptoed to give Naruto one on his cheek.

"For good luck," she said happily, and Naruto and Koun looked delighted, reddening slightly. "You'll both need it, especially you, Koun." Addressed boy winced. Sakura then turned to Sasuke, who looked rather stony and constipated.

"Doesn't he look like he's expecting it though?" Naruto whispered to Koun, who muffled his derisive laugh in his hand.

Sakura raised her hand and gave him a pat on the cheek. "You don't need luck, genius boy," she laughed.

Naruto thought Sasuke looked furious as they walked away from the jovial medic nin.

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**Naruto:** YOSH! We're about to start the Chuunin Exams! Pfft – they couldn't just take away the Written Exams, huh? Stupid exams… Well, this genius Uzumaki Naruto-sama will SURELY pass this test! (Or I'll end up disappointing Sakura-chan.)

There's a lot of other genin who want to take the Exam, so there's probably lots of competition. And some of them are looking _pretty_ suspicious to me.

Next chapter, _Exam One – Test of Loyalty._

GAAAAHHH! What the hell is an inversely proportional function?

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**AN: **Okay, I have several excuses of why I didn't update sooner. It's because I've been flooded by schoolwork, extracurriculars, and Gaia Online! (But aren't we all? Ehehehe…) I especially loved the last part of this chapter though - I couldn't resist a little SasuSaku along the way.

Anyway, I hope you review this extremely long chapter!


	14. First Exam – A Test of Loyalty

**AN:** And here's chapter 14, everyone! Hope you all enjoy! (Methinks it's a pretty boring chappie – but just review anyway.)

**Sankyuu to: ** **snow-baby, hunterchan, Hikari Dohjutsu, Sirus183, PrettyAnimeKitty, Lyzz2nwn (**Yez, I lurf you.**), harunosakua, DualX, Icecream Skittles Addict, X-Emerald-X, Firefly-the-Wolf, Mimiru-Sama, SasuSakuFan, brenu, CelestialClouds, kila-himikito, Zelha, Akamaru's Pet Kiba, Bahamut9999, Shiro Aki, Gina01, Tildessmoo, Plantress, icygirl2, SiMply Sakura-chan (**I love your review! -glomps-**), animevivverz (**did I? I had the impression I didn't**), Hanako-chan, hani-chan, sillymail, Great Saiyaman, Hinata-hime, Raven Ariana, everlastingxwish (**stony and constipated was the first thing that popped into mind**), narutofaves, Silver Warrior, Kawaii-Sak-Bloom, Dust-in, Shioan, Denisen, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, PrincessChii, animemistress419, rebel-girl, nothing but blue, Green Animelover, SoulShine, tiffanylicis (**he didn't get one, y'know. Heh. XD**) Kaze-Yume No Tenshi, Sienna Alexanderson, Dragon Man 180, BloodRuby, 2supersmart, K.C., Lord Skoonie, Lady Evilness (**I read the jinxiness off a Reader's Digest issue - that it all comes down to right timing**), Komo Pineconeseed, Shuuwai, CrazyGirlofManyNames, loVeFoReTeRnItY (**soon, my precious. -cackles-**), Lifestyle, Kawaii IceCream... **and all those who at least took a bit of interest!

Well, here we go!

* * *

**Chapter 14: First Exam – A Test of Loyalty**

* * *

Naruto stared at Sasuke under mischievous blue eyes. Likewise, Koun sported an oddly impish smirk. The ebony-haired prodigy between the two smirking genin bristled irritably. "What – are – you – looking – at?" he growled. 

"You're still pissed, aren'tcha?" Naruto asked, grinning. Sasuke scowled deeper.

"Why would I be pissed?" Sasuke asked dangerously, seething.

"Coz Sakura-chan didn't kis- OI!" Naruto ducked as Sasuke aimed a kick at his face. Koun's grin turned to a sympathetic grimace.

"I am NOT pissed because Sakura didn't-!" He abruptly ended his sentence sounding embarrassed.

"You don't believe him, now do you, Koun?" Naruto yelled as Sasuke chased after him, promising him bloody murder with his dagger glare.

"I don't think I do, Naruto-san!" Koun yelled back as he ducked from Sasuke's kunai.

"Both of you, shut up or I'LL BARBEQUE YOU TO THE NEXT CENTURY!" Sasuke bellowed. Naruto and Koun shut up, but they were still laughing hard.

"He's got it hard," Naruto whispered to Koun.

"I think that much is obvious," the boy whispered back.

The people they passed on the way to the Academy watched them apprehensively. "I guess we're back to three years ago," one of the villagers sighed. "That Uchiha kid and the Kyuubi kid always bickering… time to fire-proof the house again…"

But the three were nervous. They had been playing around for the whole trip to the Academy, but in every step they took, the reality of the Chuunin Exams got pounded more into their conscious. They knew it was coming – and they knew it would be life changing. Every step they took made the Academy bigger to their eyes. The three of them stopped at the entrance.

"The Academy, huh?" Naruto said, breaking the silence. Then he broke into a large grin. "Well – no good standing here all day! We're going to beat this exam! It's what we should do!"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, it's not," he corrected Naruto, who gazed at him questioningly. "It's what we _want_ to do."

There was a certain weight on his words, and his teammates understood. They stepped into the Academy grounds, beginning another chaotic adventure they had only the slightest idea was going to happen.

"Boy," Naruto said as they joined throngs of other Chuunin hopefuls, "sure wish it won't be as chaotic as last time."

* * *

The three walked on to the room they were supposed to pass through to get to the place where the Exams were going to be held. Koun and Sasuke were discussing information gathering tactics under their breaths, plus the experience the original Team 7 had when they first took the test, which Sasuke thought Koun would do good to know. Naruto, however, had taken to looking around the vicinity. 

It was a little more crowded than last time, he observed. He found some familiar village symbols – there were a lot of Sand and Grass genin around. He had no idea about the Hidden Grass, but he at least knew that the Sunagakure's ties with Konoha resulted to the larger turnout of Sand genin in this year's exam. Vaguely, he wondered if Gaara and his siblings would be watching the Third Exam battles. This realization only fueled the fire inside Naruto to succeed in this exam. _After all, Gaara's a Kazekage. I have a lot of catching up to do._

He looked around the Academy corridors and sighed again. _But this written test thing just isn't my strong suit,_ he thought dully. _I don't really think that last-minute cramming with Sakura helped at all._ He was worried about this test the most.

The three of them climbed the stairs and moved through different corridors to get to the testing center. They got to a familiar hallway, which was being blocked by a small crowd all murmuring rather cautiously. "Yo, what's the hold-up?" Naruto called.

He was answered by having a small Sand genin thrown at him unceremoniously. "What the-" Sasuke managed to say in surprise.

Two Konoha nin were blocking a doorway, looking cocky. "You can't do that!" the Sand genin on Naruto yelled at them. "We're here to take the Exam, and we have permits!"

"GEROFF ME!" Naruto growled, and the Sand genin scampered away. _Though these two guys look kinda familiar…_

"I think it's not against the rules that we sort out the weak and the strong first, before they take the Exam," one of the Konoha nin said arrogantly. "Get out of here if you can't even make it past us."

Sasuke sighed. "Now I know why these two are so familiar," he muttered to himself. "Oi, take the genjutsu off, will you?" he called from behind Naruto.

The two Konoha nin spotted him weaving his way through the crowd of bewildered genin, and their cocky grins were replaced with knowing smiles. "Sakura noticed again?" the one with messy black hair called to him.

"This time, it's me," Sasuke said. "She's already a Chuunin, y'know."

"Ah, I'd forgotten." He grinned as the other genin, including Koun, murmured their confusion. "Kai!"

The genjutsu on the room number dispelled, and the genin took notice. Naruto laughed as his memory of their first Chuunin Exam came back, and Sasuke shook his head. "Take off the genjutsu on _yourselves_, too, Kotetsu, Izumo. You Chuunin shouldn't be here, I think."

The two took off their Henge as well in good humor. The genin gasped. "That's no way to speak to your superiors, Sasuke," Izumo jested. "You might have forgotten that today, you're still beneath us."

"That's going to change today!" Naruto exclaimed as he and Kotetsu bumped fists in greeting. "This Uzumaki Naruto-sama will be WAAAAY above you two in a year or two, remember that!"

"I'll be expecting that," Kotetsu said, ruffling his black hair. "Some ambition you've got. Well," he said to the other genin, "you're all lucky these two saved your behinds. But the next exams won't be this easy." He jerked his head towards the real direction of the center, and the other genin took this as a cue to go. Naruto, Sasuke, and Koun tarried a bit to talk more. Kotetsu lowered his voice. "But listen – this what we did is only a cover. We wanted to speak with you guys personally."

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks. What could be so important lowly genin such as them were privy to it? "Well, spit it out already – we're going to be late," the Uchiha muttered. He, Naruto and Koun leaned forward to hear what they had to say. Izumo and Kotetsu nodded to each other.

"Y'see, we received intelligence that there are some suspicious characters participating in the Exam, particularly from those Grass lot," Izumo said. "If you see those kids in dark punk get-up, that's them. They've been known to be troublemakers, they heard."

"Are you sure you should be telling us this?" Sasuke asked.

"No, not really," Kotetsu confessed. "But we'd be glad if someone was watching from inside the Exams as well as the outside. You never know. We don't like it, but if we're going to ensure everyone's safety, we'll have to break a protocol or two."

Sasuke snorted. "You seem to be doing that a lot, lately."

"But isn't guarding part of what the proctors of this Exam are for?" Koun inquired.

"No one would dare make a move with a proctor around," Izumo said. "But with other examiners, they might be more… relaxed. You might have to look out for that."

"You're about the only genin we trust," Kotetsu added. "Don't mess it up, you guys."

"This isn't an official order from the Hokage," Sasuke sighed.

"But you'll do it?" Kotetsu pressed.

"You guys are overenthusiastic," Naruto said, grinning, "but yeah, we'll keep guard!"

"That's good," Izumo said, smiling back. "We don't want anything like last time to happen." All five shinobi exchanged dark looks, and Sasuke shook his head.

"Well, this exam isn't going to answer itself," he muttered. "Let's go, you two." The three of them walked off after waving goodbye. Naruto looked back one last time at the waving Chuunin.

"See you guys later!" he called. "Who knows, you guys may be just, you know, paranoid."

* * *

Golden eyes peered from under heavy eyelids as Team 7 passed through the last corridor that lead to the test room. Their owner smirked as Naruto enthusiastically chattered about what he would like to after the wxam, and whether or not the Kazekage would be there. "That's… the Kyuubi kid, isn't it?" she drawled to her companions. "The blondie?" 

"And Uchiha too," the boy beside her muttered, fingering his hitai-ate with the Grass insignia. "He looks pretty weedy, if you ask me. I could probably go like this-" he flicked a finger in the air, "-and he'd go plop to the floor."

"I think that they're kinda cute," the girl said cheekily, curling a finger around a dark purple lock of her hair. "Why don't we bypass investigating and just-"

"We had orders, Chikyu," a third one said, his deep voice resonating from the shadows. He stood the tallest of the three. "Only the boss is allowed to carry out the task."

The girl called Chikyu sighed. "You take the fun out of things, Hebi, you anal bastard. Fine, we'll wait." She turned to the stockiest of the group, who was fidgeting with his hitai-ate again. "Sainan, quit that and let's get going." Her purple-lined lips curved into a sinister smile, and her teammates followed her towards the testing room door.

* * *

Kakashi greeted them at the end of the hallway, the door to the testing room behind him. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out. "Nice to see you!" 

Kakashi's lone visible eye crinkled to a smile. "Nice to see you three too. Are you guys ready?"

"Hell yeah we are!" Naruto cried enthusiastically. Koun nodded, and Sasuke smirked. "You know that, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Well, I don't have anything else to tell you," Kakashi said, "except that good luck on the Exam. This first one is your waterloo, Naruto - hopefully you do good. Sakura and I are counting on you three." He sidestepped to let them into the room. "Go on."

The three of them slid the door open, and Naruto waved to Kakashi. "When you see us again, we'll be nearly Chuunin, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto grinned.

"Oh, and Sasuke?" Kakashi called. The prodigy turned his head back to look at his former teacher, who had fished out a small brown package from his weapon pouch. "Here's a little gift for you – Sakura and I had it forged for you a week ago, but it was only delivered today."

Raising an eyebrow, Sasuke unwrapped the small package. It was light, and when he opened it, the shine on the object blinded him for a nanosecond. Then the stars around his eyes faded to reveal the present.

It was a new hitai-ate – looking fresh and brand new, the Konoha symbol unscratched and untainted. Sasuke's jaw dropped just slightly, but enough to betray the surprise.

Naruto was the first to react. "Why didn't you tell me you and Sakura-chan chipped in to have it made? I could've been in on the surprise, y'know?"

"Naruto," Kakashi explained, "knowing you, you'd blurt the secret out even before we even paid for it." Turning to Sasuke, he said, "Put it on – you'll only be recognized in the room as a true Konoha genin if you do."

It had been a long time since Sasuke last wore a hitai-ate – he refused pointblank to wear the one they had for the Sound Village. Quickly, he tied the hitai-ate around his forehead, where his old one used to be, and Kakashi, Naruto and Koun stood to look at his face. Kakashi smiled at Sasuke's dumbfounded expression – it was like the twelve year-old Sasuke was there again.

"Well," Kakashi said briskly, "we can't just stay here gawking. You have an exam to get to." The three genin nodded and walked to the door.

"Yeah, Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, and Kakashi turned to him. The younger one didn't meet his eye, but he looked grateful all the same. "Thanks." With that, he slid the doors close.

Kakashi smiled peacefully, walking away. _I'm putting my faith in you three. I want you all to become real Konoha shinobi just as much as you do._

* * *

Like last year, the room was jam packed with other Chuunin hopefuls, all looking hostile. Koun gulped, but Sasuke and Naruto rolled their eyes. It was the same – they weren't going to be intimidated this time. "Just don't challenge them again, Naruto," Sasuke muttered to him. Naruto ignored him. 

Instead, he stood up on tiptoe, looking for familiar faces. "Y'think Gaara will be here?" he asked Sasuke as he scanned the crowd of genin in the room.

Koun laughed amusedly as Sasuke scowled. "For the last _friggin_' time, Naruto, I don't know. Even if he _will_ be, he won't be in this room – only the proctors and the test takers are allowed in here."

"Just checking!" Naruto protested. Then he proceeded to look for the Leaf insignia on other people's hitai-ate. "I wonder whether other genin from our village is taking the test too…"

On cue, a short genin hurtled into Naruto, wrestling him to the ground. "GEROFF ME!" he snarled. It was the second time he had been floored, and he didn't like it very much. Koun and Sasuke held back their snorts.

The genin only sat up on Naruto's stomach, his teammates peering delightedly at Naruto's annoyed face. "Naruto-oniichan!!!" Konohamaru yelled into Naruto's face, his gap-toothed smile wide and happy. "Missed me?"

"Oh, it's you," Naruto mumbled as Konohamaru scrambled off him. He stood up and dusted himself. "Konohamaru Corps."

"Hell yeah!" Konohamaru proclaimed. "We're going to conquer this exam, the three of us, we will!" Moegi giggled happily, and Udon nodded, sniffling as usual. "We've been doing so many dangerous missions, so we're real ready for-"

"Pfft, 'dangerous missions' my ass," Naruto snorted. "Been there, done that. I don't think walking the nin dogs or picking up trash in the river qualifies as 'dangerous missions.' How many A-, B-, or C-rank missions have you gotten lately?"

"Er… just two C-rank…" Moegi mumbled under her breath as Konohamaru stood speechless, ears red in embarrassment and anger.

"See?" Naruto said as-a-matter-of-factly. "You guys are _waaaaay_ too young to take this exam."

Konohamaru stuck his tongue out at Naruto. "Like _you_ should talk, Naruto-oniichan," he said. "You were rookies when you took it last time, too."

Naruto imitated Konohamaru's childish action. "I was 12 and stupid, just like you."

"It's still half true," Sasuke muttered to Koun, smirking.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked warily. The Konohamaru Corps turned their attention to the teammates of their "teacher." Moegi's eyes immediately turned to hearts and Udon's jaw dropped as they looked up at Sasuke. Konohamaru's eyes, however, narrowed in suspicion, but he said nothing. Sasuke's face had the expression which told them they were beneath his notice.

"Hey, Naruto-oniichan," Konohamaru whispered, pulling Naruto from the rest of the group, away into a quiet corner. He needed to voice out his suspicions. "Why is that Uchiha guy… y'know… with you? Is he allowed to…"

"Yeah he's allowed to take Exams," Naruto whispered back. He frowned at Konohamaru. "You… still don't trust him, do you?"

"Well," Konohamaru mumbled, "he _did_ betray the village, so I thought…"

Naruto ruffled Konohamaru's hair. "You really _are_ such a kid, you know that? It's _fine_ – you wouldn't understand right now since you're not part of the whole thing, but someday, you will. For now, you'll just have to trust him, okay?"

Konohamaru nodded grudgingly, though he still thought he ought to keep an eye on the Uchiha. "Okay."

Naruto grinned and hoisted Konohamaru up by the waist, the younger protesting loudly. "Now, my favorite rookie, lets rock this exam!"

"Leggo, Naruto-oniichan! I'm _still_ the Sandaime's grandson you know!"

"Who _cares_, Konohamaru?" Naruto laughed as Konohamaru struggled. "S'not as if you'll be as brilliant as old man Sandaime was."

"You watch, Naruto-oniichan!" Konohamaru growled. "I'm going to kick your ass in this exam!"

"Yeah, well, better impress me then, you puny rookie!"

* * *

Another three pairs of dark eyes followed the two's antics from afar. "Pretty brave of rookies to take this exam, no?" one said lightly, adjusting his black silver-studded wristband. He leaned against a desk, his dyed black hair up in a high ponytail. 

"Yeah," his teammate said, twirling her kunai between her fingers as she shifted from one booted foot to another. "And the gap-toothed kid's pretty interesting too – he's the Sandaime Hokage's grandson, he says."

"You don't think he has some village secrets, huh, Makkuro?" the third member of the team asked, addressing the girl. She smiled slightly.

"That's for our leader to decide, Osore," she answered, and turned to the lanky boy with the wristband. "What do you think, Fuan?"

"Fresh meat," Fuan said, grinning, his mascara-glazed eyes glinting. "Definitely fresh meat. Shall we do a bit of service to our country later, then?" His teammates only smiled in a sinister manner, knowing their leader's plan at once.

Makkuro shook her long black hair gracefully and beckoned to her teammates. "Let's find our seats, you guys. Hopefully we're a little close to our cute little baby ninjas."

* * *

Sasuke's coal orbs followed the movements of the three Grass nins staring at Konohamaru. _They must be the three Izumo and Kotetsu were talking about,_ he said to himself. _Well, they definitely look like hoodlums to m-_

"Hey, Sasuke-san," Koun whispered urgently. "I think I see those guys those Chuunin were talking about."

"I see them too," Sasuke muttered, nodding justlightly towards the nin who were keeping an eye on Konohamaru and his team, who had all flocked to Naruto and pestering him. Koun's jaw dropped.

"You mean there are _two_ groups of them?" he murmured, his voice slightly higher than usual.

Sasuke's brow creased. "What do you mean?"

Koun jerked his head to the opposite direction from the Grass nin Sasuke had been watching. "Over there." Sasuke turned his head to that direction.

Three other Grass nins were there, in the punk gear the two Chuunin had described. _They_ couldn't _be specific about the description, now could they?_ Sasuke thought a little irritably. One of them turned to him – a girl with dark purple hair and golden eyes. Their eyes met, one pair malicious, the other suspicious.

_Where have I seen those eyes before?_ Sasuke thought. A slightly ominous feeling settled and grew in his stomach.

Their eye contact broke when something jumped on him and latched onto him from behind. "Sasuke-kuuuuuuuun!" Ino shrieked happily into his ear. It took Sasuke all his control and a semblance of gentlemanly manners not to pick her up by the collar and throw her onto the wall.

Instead, he said as coldly as he could, "Get off, Ino." Ino pouted prettily.

"Aw, Sasuke-kun, you tolerate it when Forehead Girl does it!" she whined in what Sasuke thought was _supposed_ to be a cute manner. He rolled his eyes. "Don't you like me as much as you like her?"

Sasuke considered her for a moment.

"No."

Ino stuck her tongue out at him. The she noticed Koun staring at her and went back to her cheery self. "Hello!" she said happily. "You're Sasuke-kun's new teammate, I take it? I'm Yamanaka Ino! What's your name?"

Koun blushed, apparently taken by the flower femme's beauty. "I'm Ayashi Koun. Pleased to meet you."

Ino giggled and patted his head. "Well, good luck to you!" She smiled coquettishly at Sasuke. "You too, Sasuke-kun!"

"Ino," a deep, quiet voiced said from behind her. They looked to see Shino walking up. Koun blanched at Shino's pale, hooded form, but Sasuke nodded at him – Shino was the only one besides Shikamaru he could get along with among their circle of friends. Shino nodded back at him. "Let's get to our posts."

"Ino! Shino!" Naruto greeted, already having pried himself away from Konohamaru's group. "What're you doing here?"

"Hey Naruto!" the equally loud blonde greeted back. "We're going to be proctors for this exam! And you'll se more of us from the group – we were specially assigned by Tsunade-sama to look after you guys! After all, we _were_ classmates."

"We'll be starting in a couple of minutes," Shino informed them. "Here are your seat numbers." he handed them a piece of paper each with a number on them, and they found that Naruto was sitting just in front Sasuke, while Koun sat in the same row as Sasuke, though five seats from him. They bid Ino and Shino goodbye as the two herded the other genin to their seats.

"This is the plan," Sasuke whispered as they took time in finding their seats. "Koun will tie a chakra string to our pens, and I'll find out the answers to the questions using my Sharingan. Then with the movements of my pen, you'll both have to decipher what I'm writing since I'll be tugging at your pens. Clear?"

Koun nodded, but Naruto looked a little unsure. But there was no time to protest or come up with another plan as Ibiki barked at several genin for dawdling in getting in their seats. Sasuke took a moment to look around as he got into his seat.

He noted that two of the Grass nin scoping Konohamaru out were sitting in the same row as him, on either side of him. The Grass kunoichi who he thought looked familiar was sitting a few rows in front of him, while he couldn't see the rest. _So those Grass nin won't let their eyes off him. What are they planning?_

Ibiki strode to the front of the classroom and began, "Listen to the general instruction, people, and listen carefully, because I'm not going to repeat the instruction. As usual, the rules are the following…"

Koun sat up straighter, and Sasuke laced his fingers together. Naruto chose this time to zone out to reorganize his thoughts. He somehow could still vaguely remember the rules from the previous time, and he needed some time to clear his head before the real thing started. He sank into contemplation about the exam.

He didn't want to take it, in the first place – the survival and the one-on-one battles were his more preferred type of test. _Not that I'm not smart,_ he thought, _but this written thing is just too bothersome. They say it's just information gathering, but I hate having to decipher the stuff that they'll be relaying on the chakra string. I'm not_ that _good yet, so I might not answer anything at all. I'll just have to to pour my everything I've got on the 10th question._

His lips curved up to a confident smile. _Well, whatever it is, it's going to be a piece of cake for me! I'm going to have to do it – it's a step to being Hokage, since I'm going to have to be just in Gaara's rank._ He looked outside an open window, where he knew Kakashi and Sakura were waiting for him and Sasuke to become Chuunin. _Besides, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei are counting on me and Sasuke, enough said._

He shifted his position as Ibiki began explaining the point system in the background. Naruto's memory traveled back to the time of the last Chuunin Exam they had taken. So much had happened back then – there were a lot of occasions when they could've died, and there were certainly moments where their lives were altered by certain moments.

Sakura, who had been growing her hair for Kami-knows-what, had cut her hair because she "thought it would get in the way" while traveling in the forest, and she had never truly grown it back since then. She had to fight her rival, one who had been her best friend when they were children. _Most importantly,_ Naruto thought with a sense of pride, _Sakura-chan pretty much grew up back then. She's so grown up, compared to when we were Academy Students. I never really noticed till now…_

He knew Sasuke changed a lot as they took the exams, as well. He had become more open to the fact there were others stronger than him, and that he would have to work harder to become stronger. He had realized that Sakura and Naruto were the two people he cared about the most. And according to Sakura, it had been during the second exam when he got the Curse Seal, courtesy of Orochimaru. _Hopefully nothing like that's going to happen again._

He himself had changed. He learned to see things from a different light in that first exam. He hadn't known that girls could fight that fiercely, or that genin like Gaara could easily murder. He hadn't noticed how determined Hinata was to prove herself, till that exam. He finally got to see lazy-ass Shikamaru in action. But what was most important to him was that Sasuke had seen him as someone worth fighting, and that through that, he knew that he had grown up a bit as well, during the ordeal in the Forest of Death.

He knew he and Sasuke would be forever in a deadlock of power – they were always going to be equal, whatever he did. It was a good thing they weren't trying to kill each other anymore, but then again, he still wanted to measure how near or far apart their amount of ninja skill and strength were. He smiled and made up his mind, tapping Sasuke on the shoulder.

"What?" Sasuke muttered, looking at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

The cerulean-eyed boy was blunt and to the point. "I want to fight you in the third exam."

Sasuke looked surprised for a moment, then smirked. "I should've seen that coming."

Naruto grinned mischievously. "Yeah. I still wanna fight you."

"We've fought already," Sasuke pointed out. "Several times, in fact. Sakura's going to get mad at us if we fight again."

"You forget, we have all the right to fight each other in this exam," Naruto said quietly, still grinning. "B'sides, I want to see if I can beat you without trying to kill you."

Sasuke's smirk grew wider. "I'll take that as a challenge, freakin' idiot."

"You better believe it, Sasuke-bastard."

"ENOUGH of the talk over there," Ibiki boomed, and both shinobi turned their attention to him. "Your time… starts… NOW!"

* * *

Sakura stared at the rabbit she was supposed to be applying the jutsu to. What were Naruto, Sasuke, and Koun doing right then? Were they having an easier time than before? Were they already caught cheating and had to be sent home?

"Sakura."

Sakura glared at the rabbit, though not really seeing it. _They had better pass those exams,_ she scowled. _After all that effort I put into helping them, they had better. I'm going to kill them if they don't._

"Sa-ku-ra…"

_Besides, they DID promise. If they're going to break that promise, they have another think coming. But what if they just fail? What if they lose confidence in the end? What if something has gone horribly wrong and_-

"SAKURA!"

Sakura jumped as Tsunade slapped the table the rabbit was on, to get the younger kunoichi's attention. "Sakura, what's wrong with you today?" Tsunade sighed. "You haven't been focusing as much as usual. In fact, you aren't focusing at all." Sakura mumbled an apology, hanging her head, and Tsunade smiled knowingly. "You're worried about Sasuke and Naruto, and to some extent, Koun, yes?"

Sakura nodded, smiling sheepishly. "I know I'm being silly, but I can't help thinking that they might… you know… not be up to it."

Tsunade laughed. "Not up to it? Sakura dear, those two could probably leave whole countries in shambles if they wanted to, with the extent of their power. And Koun – you and your boys have given him enough last minute cram training. I'm sure they can carry themselves."

"But it's _written_ exams first, Tsunade-shishou," Sakura said. "You know how Naruto is. He's not exactly the type to figure out the velocity of the shuriken judging by the enemy nin's appearance and arm length."

"Or how to try and decipher a coded message written in backward kanji," Tsunade said, nodding, and Sakura giggled hesitantly. "But you have to have more faith in them, Sakura – they got through the first test the first time they took it. I don't see why they can't do it this time."

"And there's one other thing," the pink-haired medic said restlessly. "I'm worried that something might happen again… something like last time." Unwillingly, images began to float in her mind – of snakes, Curse Seals, and yellow eyes under a melting mask. She shuddered.

"I'd heard you met Orochimaru," Tsunade confirmed, and Sakura nodded. "Yes – meeting him again would be dangerous for Sasuke. It's good that Naruto's with him; they could hold against Orochimaru if he comes for Sasuke."

"But what if Sasuke-kun decides to go with him?" Sakura asked. "Naruto alone can't prevent that."

"That's why I assigned several of your friends to different positions in the exams," Tsunade explained, grinning. "It's my own safety precaution in case any of your fears happen. But they're highly unlikely, Sakura. You know that, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Sakura," Tsunade interrupted, though not unkindly, "have more faith in your friends, okay? I think they're all capable of handling any kind of situation."

The younger kunoichi's apple green eyes crinkled her eyes to a smile. "Thank you, Tsunade-shishou," she nodded, and Tsunade patted her head.

"Of course," Tsunade said briskly, "if Sasuke and Naruto DO fail the written exam, it'll be because of their own stupidity and they'll have to wait another six months for the next one."

Sakura's happy face crumpled to frustrated annoyance. "You're not helping, Tsunade-shishou!!!!"

* * *

"Number 24," Ino chirped, "failed!"

Number 24 stood up and marched furiously right up to Ino, who smiled so sweetly it only served to annoy the genin. "Why do _I_ fail?" he yelled at her, a good foot taller than the blonde. "On what basis?"

"I've caught you cheating 5 times – and since you only have ten points and every cheat is worth two points, then your score is now zero and there's no point in continue," Ino said, seeming to take delight at the furious Hidden Waterfall nin. "Now, you know where the door is."

"You can't fail me!" the nin yelled, and swung a humongous fist at her. Ino easily dodged, grasped the nin's arm, flipped the nin up into the air, and pinned him to the ground, his arm twisted behind his back, Ino sitting on him.

"Do you really think something like that would work on me?" she asked, her voice dripping with sweet poison. "Elite Chuunin are chosen to be here for a purpose – to subdue the likes of you. Now, get out before I break your arms. Try the exam six months from now."

Number 24's teammates picked him up, and looking subdued, they walked out the door. "Anyone else?" Ino asked. The genin immediately turned their attention back to their paper.

Sasuke was carefully copying out the answers from some other genin with his Sharingan, while Koun intercepted his pen's every movement with his own. Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't distinguish the tugs and pulls Koun was making on the pen – he wasn't as sensitive to the chakra string's movement as the younger nin. _That's it – I'm going to give my all on the final question,_ Naruto thought resolutely, staring at his blank paper. _It's my only chance._

It looked as though Naruto was the only one who didn't have at least something on his or her paper. Konohamaru, using a jutsu taught to him by "closet pervert" Ebisu, an effective little trick that allowed him to copy the same exact movements of the genin in his shadow, his seatmate – it was almost like a reverse Kage Mane no Jutsu. Unknown to the Sandaime's grandson, a certain Grass nin with long black hair up on a ponytail had seen him form the seals under his desk and mutter the name of the jutsu and had taken to copying Konohamaru's movements.

Chikyu had closed her molten amber eyes and listened to every tick and scratch of her seatmate's pen. Slowly, she began to write her answers on the paper, from the things she could decipher on the sounds of the pencils. A few rows away from her, Sainan was again fiddling with his Grass-marked hitai-ate, but he was using it to reflect the answers of the person beside him. Hebi, the tallest of the trio, was doing the same thing Chikyu was – only, he was listening to every tick of Sasuke's pen.

Sasuke frowned at his paper thoughtfully – so far, he had answered about 60 percent of the exam, but the time allotted was slowly diminishing. No one had answered a certain question yet, and they were losing time. He took that moment to look up and check on how Naruto was doing.

The ebony-haired Uchiha wanted to bang his head on the desk. Why didn't Naruto answer _anything_? _He's banking on that 10th question again!_ Sasuke realized, suppressing the urge to stand and whop the blond's head hard. _Who knows if we can even answer right this time? Stupid!_

The time was ticking, and there was no time to lament over Naruto's uselessness on written exams. He reactivated Sharingan and proceeded to copy from the nearest possible person who already had the answers to the number he needed to answer. _Naruto, if you're going to be the reason we fail, I swear I'll make you organs explode into the air!_

Naruto could feel Sasuke's burning stare and dark aura piercing his back, and he realized the Uchiha had seen his blank paper. _Urgh – don't misunderstand, Sasuke…_ He swallowed the lump of something in his throat, and watch the clock tick closer to the end time.

Finally, the long dreaded minute came. "Time's up!" Ibiki called. "Put down your pens, and we'll give out the 10th question."

Naruto gulped – he knew that the 10th question was unlikely to be written, but he couldn't be too sure. _After all, this exam could be full of surprises._ He could still feel Sasuke's glare on his head – if looks could burn he'd have been hairless by then.

"There are special rules for this question," Ibiki continued. Sasuke nodded, deciding it was probably like the last time. He smirked – even the simpleton Naruto couldn't have forgotten to answer it. "If this question is answered correctly, only 2 out of 3 in the team can proceed. You can opt to take the exam next year and fail this one with a complete team. You can go ahead and answer this question individually and correctly, and if all in your team can get it, you can vote out anyone who wishes to stay behind. Or, you can answer wrongly and fail, and but have the chance to take the exam again, but only after four more Chuunin Exams have passed.

"You have five minutes to decide."

Sasuke wanted to bang his head on the desk again. He knew that this was another of Ibiki's tricks on the mind, and even after knowing that, it still affected him. They could go ahead and answer the 10th question – it could've been what Ibiki called "courage in the face of uncertainty," the thing tested last time. But it could also be something to mess with their heads.

Koun gulped. He was sure this 10th question was going to be the mother of all questions – the hardest of them all. _As if the ones on the questionnaire weren't hard enough._ He was sure he would have no knowledge of this one, though Sasuke could probably help him. _But if we get it right, they'd probably drop me from the team – I'm the weakest, after all._ He smiled sadly. _Well, if that's what it takes…_

Naruto looked around at his teammates. He knew that this last one was going to be a decision-making type of question, but he didn't realize it would be different from last time. _It could have the same solution as the last time, but it could not._ He thought deeply – he needed to calm down, like Sakura said.

Some teams had already gone on out of the room, Ibiki instructing them to hand over their seat numbers to the Chuunin proctor by the door. Konohamaru's team was one of them. _We couldn't finish this thing without the full team anyway,_ Konohamaru thought sadly. _Too bad we only lasted this long._ He didn't notice the Grass nin following him deciding to quit too – just to follow him.

Sasuke now decided to go ahead and stay. They could easily dispose of Koun and get on to the next round – it was _that_ easy, and he was sure that this question was almost like last year – a test of their preparedness against the unknown.

Koun felt like giving himself up – if Sasuke and Naruto were to answer it, then he couldn't be holding them back. He made up his mind and just give himself up for the good of the team.

More teams were filing out, though not as many as the ones who were staying. Ibiki was still looking around. "Anyone else who wants to quit?"

Naruto's hand twitched, and slowly, he raised his hand. Sasuke wished he could throw an eraser at him, but Naruto stood up anyway. He pointed to Ibiki, who looked slightly taken aback, but still shrewd. "We're quitting!" he yelled, and for real, Sasuke banged his head on his desk. "We're not going through this without a complete team! Whether we answer this question or not, we're not dropping anyone out of our team, because this is a three-man job!"

"Then stop your yakking and get on to the line, you noisy brat," Ibiki said, smirking. Sasuke and Koun stood up, and Naruto lead them out of the room. Koun looked torn between gratitude and disappointment, while Sasuke just looked plain glum. Naruto, however, had a great big grin on his face. They handed their number to the Chuunin near the exit, and left the room.

Once they were out of the room, the three Grass nin eyeing Sasuke followed in their suit. However, Team 7 didn't notice, since Sasuke was busy berating Naruto. "What have you _done_?" the angry Uchiha hissed. "Now we won't be able to finish the exam. What are we supposed to say to Sakura now?"

"Well, it was the best choice, wasn't it?" Naruto argued. "We couldn't let Koun out of our team – this exam is supposed to be a team thing! I don't think we'd be able to survive the forest without him! Besides, if we took the question and failed, then we would've had to wait for two years for the next one!"

"There _is_ no actual 10th question, you idiot!" Sasuke said. "It's just a stupid mind trick that makes you-"

_CRASH!_

The bunch of genin in the room looked around and saw the window broken open by a tall, pretty Jounin with a confident smirk on her face. "Mitarashi Anko, right here!" she yelled, flashing everyone a grin and a peace sign. Everyone stared at her, at a loss for words or thought.

The door leading to the room was already closed, and Sasuke's mind began to work quickly. _Did she just pass by this window, or have we actually passed?_

"Well, seems like the exam was tougher for you guys than last time," Anko said nonchalantly. "Still, we _have_ to pick out the weakest."

"What does that mean?" Udon spoke up. He sniffled. "Does that mean we pass?"

"Of course, you puny brat!" Anko exclaimed, and the boy backed away a bit. "What would I be here for? Okay… I could've been here to gloat, but…"

"But why do we _pass_?" Sasuke demanded, and the Special Jounin turned to him. "We just quit the exam-"

Anko grinned. "Not really," she said. "Come on, you still haven't thought of it yet? It was a test of _teamwork_. This was to see if you were willing not to complete missions just to have a complete team, meaning you have a high regard for life! It was Tsunade-sama's idea – and I'll betcha everyone agrees. Also, it's a test of weighing the importance of missions – if you thought having to wait two more years is a pain in the ass, then you actually have brains!"

"So, what're they doing now?" Naruto asked. "The ones who are still inside?"

"They're being handed papers that tell them that they're not allowed to take the Exam in the next two years," Anko said offhandedly. Then she shrugged. "Technically, they kinda fail. You guys, on the other hand, get to move on to MY part of the exam!" She grinned. "Are you ready?"

"Hell YEAH we're ready!" Naruto yelled, and the other nin turned to stare or glare at him. "Bring it on, lady!"

Ino peeked out of the room and looked at Naruto and the others following Anko into the fence circling the Forest of Death. She grinned – her part in the action was through. "Can't wait to tell Sakura-chan!" she murmured to herself.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Shino muttered from behind her, and the blonde's nape hairs stood on end. She hadn't felt him coming. "You have no idea if they're going to pass the next few tests."

"Of course they'll pass!" Ino huffed. "Have you _seen_ them fight? They could probably blow all the competition away!" She grinned. "Sasuke-kun is especially strong, y'know. I have faith in them. So you better have some, too."

Ino couldn't see it, but he was smiling just slightly in his hood. "I suppose." But then he frowned. _But the bugs are uneasy. Something is coming._

* * *

**Next chapter…**

**Sakura:** Well, they've done it – they're in the next stage! That had me going for a while… I thought Naruto wouldn't be able to make it. Then again, I shouldn't underestimate him. He saved the last exam for us, after all.

But in the Forest of Death looms many challenges – enemy nins are out there targeting them. Though I'm not particularly worried that they might get hurt, I _am_ still concerned about them running into cohorts of Orochimaru – or Orochimaru himself. Well, I'm just paranoid then! Ahehehe! I'm just paranoid, yeah!

Next chapter- _Forest__ of Death – Fake Grass._

Fake grass – they're not trying out that lame trick of putting bombs under fake grass, are they?

* * *

**AN:** Oh lookie, it's over! Pretty short for me, yeah, but at least it's over! And it took me too long a time too. Argh. There's something wrong with me. Well, not to say much… but… clickie on teh buttonie, kk? –glomp-

Hint: I LOVE long reviews. XD


	15. Forest of Death – Fake Grass

**AN:** It's not hard to believe that it's been nearly three months since I last updated. So much stuff has been happening in senior year that it's really killing my last brain cells. Stupid transcription. Stupid voltaic cells. Stupid electro-whatsits. Most of all, stupid derivatives!

Anyway, I'm glad it's Christmas vacay so I can finally go back to making fanfics. Happy happy joy.

Here's the Forest of Death exam. Some stuff you've seen before, and some new things and twists. I've always wondered though – how come Kishi-sensei didn't come up with a better name for the place than "Forest of Death"? If you really think about it, it's pretty stupid.

Ah well. The rest of his work is genius though…

**My gratitude goes out to... ares, annstar5647, K.C. (**Tenten appears in this chapter, and Hinata in the next. Neji won't be appearing in this arc, though**), tiffanylicis, bluflamez, Komo Pineconeseed, 2supersmart,keigojin, rebel-girl (**Ino's acting that way because that's how she normally acts around Sasuke, though she isn't attracted to him anymore**), Kawaii IceCream, Silver Warrior (**just read this chapter**), RasenganXChidori, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, Little Minamino (**it's interesting you thought it was Kin, but it's not**), Only Secret, AmazinGSensatiOn (**yes, I felt squishy and more. Thanks!**), nothing but blue,Tanashibara-san, sakruaxX, Hinata-hime (**I'm always happy to see your opinion - you've been with this fic since the beginning**), Cyberwing, Yami Umi, Rurouni Tyriel, CrazyGirlofManyNames, Hikari Dohjutsu (**Hanabi's a little too young - but she'll definitely appear one of these chapters**), onyx eyed kitten, Green Animelover, Dust-in, Dragon Man 180, Kaydreams, kakashifaves, Jac (**I was thinking of killing Asuma off even before he was foreshadowed to die in the manga, but...**), Shiro Aki, candycoatedkayla (**Oh my, spelling errors. I had better fix them**), animemistress419, Gina01 (**interesting...**), deity of death1, fuu-nk (**hehe, you'll see**), snow-baby, SoranoDarkHorse, hunterchan, sillymail, sharingan1 (**that comes in Chapter 16, I promise**), Hanako-chan, InuObsessed o.o, lilbitzer101, SiMply Sakura-chan (**suspense answered in this chapter**), Robinwind's Loyalty, OrangeCo, Lady Soysauce, Amaya no Hime, Sakura-Moonlight, charl, O.o Kaoru-chan o.O, sakuE-chan, Odat, The Future Mrs. Uchiha (**I smoke jasmine essential oil and violin rosin XD**), riverbreeze, Phazon Droid, MiMi-Ayumi, seguha...** and those people who love me anyway!

(Thanks for reviewing, **jeran1290!**)

I guess this chapter will answer a lot of questions. Hopefully you guys like it!

**Warning:** There's a bit of a gory part down there. Sorry if it puts off some people, but I _did_ warn you.

* * *

**Chapter 15: Forest of Death – Fake Grass**

* * *

Naruto poked happily at the fish now sizzling beside the campfire, especially eyeing the biggest. "You're mine, Mister Big!" he sang. "Mine mine mine!" 

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, glaring at him. "That one's _mine_ – I was the one who nailed it to the rock."

Naruto gave him the finger. "Can it, Sasuke. I was the one who got all wet and cold scaring all the fish out of the water."

"You wouldn't have been able to find them anyway if I didn't use Sharingan," Sasuke said with a faint sneer.

"I used more muscle power than you, Sasuke-teme, so I get to have the biggest fish!"

"I _thought_ about how to get the fish in the first place – I deserve the biggest, you freakin' idiot!"

"What'd you call me, _teme_?"

"Shut it, freakin' idiot, you were the one who called names fir-"

"Hey, the fish looks great!" Koun exclaimed, walking into their campsite with their water bottles filled. Sasuke and Naruto watched, dumbfounded, when the youngest nin in the group bent down and got the biggest fish from right under their noses. "Mmm," he said, munching on the fish, "just right."

"Okay then, I claim three pieces of fish since Koun took the biggest one," Sasuke said before Naruto could beat him to it.

"No fair!" Naruto cried. "I _thought_ of doing that first!"

"You snooze, you lose," Sasuke said simply, grabbing the fish from the fire.

"Hey!" Naruto said, lunging at the Uchiha, who tried to kick him away.

"You guys…" Koun said, laughing uncomfortably. _Here they are, arguing about who gets more fish, and not even caring about what could happen in this freaky forest, even after Anko-sensei's warning two days ago…_

* * *

_Anko__ went over the rules of the second part of the Chuunin Exam to the thirteen teams of genin left. The first timers could only stare apprehensively at the looming darkness of the forest while she ranted on about the wonderful dangers of the forest with a sadistic eye twinkling._

_Naruto__ and Sasuke didn't seem to be listening, only arguing about who got to lead. "I ought to take lead this time, teme – you don't seem keen enough to keep the team together!" Naruto was saying._

"_Of course I want to keep the team together," Sasuke snapped. "I also happen to make the best decisions, so-"_

_Naruto's__ snort interrupted him. "Best decisions? Yeah, right. Who decided to go after the snake bastard, anyway?"_

"_Why you-"_

"_Naruto-san, Sasuke-san, please," Koun pleaded. "Let's just listen to the instructions so that we don't miss anything…"_

_Both teens only glared at him. "We already know the rules, Koun – it's not like we haven't done this before," Naruto said._

"_HEY YOU!"_ _Anko yelled from where she stood in front of the forest fence. Team 7 turned to her, and she wore a big scowl. "Miss anything, and you'll be on your own! Just because the Godaime likes ya don't mean we'll be easy on ya!" Naruto and Sasuke only looked petulant and kept silent as Anko went over the rules. "Now, as an added security measure, elite Chuunin will be roaming around the forest to ensure that nothing will kill you. We're here to test your survival skills, not to annihilate you. We'll take care of the suspicious elements of the forest. You just go do your thing."_

_Naruto's__attention had been caught by something else again. Koun turned to see him waving to some of the elite Chuunin, three of whom who waved back. "Hey Sasuke!" the blond fox exclaimed. "Tenten, Chouji, and Kiba are here!" He waved enthusiastically at them._

"_All right, scrolls there with you?" Anko called. "Got everything you need? You don't? Good. It'll do you a lot good to try and survive with only the stuff you got with you." She grinned. "Start!"_

"_Good luck, you guys!" Kiba yelled. "Don't die!" Naruto grinned at him, and joined the two poised to jump into the forest with the other genin._

"_Team Kakashi, stay," Anko ordered. Naruto tripped, Koun toppled, and Sasuke turned gracefully towards her. "Just one thing," the usually mischievous-looking jounin said seriously. "We don't want anything like last time to happen." She directed her attention to Sasuke. "Keep this-" she pointed to her nape, and Sasuke held his own, surprised, "-in check."_

"_You were-"_

_Anko__ gave him a mischievous grin. "Go," she said. "Oi, Chouji!" she commanded from behind her shoulder. "Get me some of that dango!"_

* * *

_That warning…_ Koun thought as he munched on his fish silently, staring at Sasuke's nape. _What was that all about?_

Sasuke caught his stare, and Koun blushed. "What're you looking at?" he growled.

"N-nothing," Koun stuttered. "I-I just thought… a bug…"

"Right," Sasuke muttered, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. The green-clad genin laughed nervously and turned his attention away from the avenger. Sasuke fingered the spot above his Curse Seal again. _That Anko person… so she knows about the seal. Well… she_ is _a Special Jounin, but could she be the one that snake bastard was talking about? The first to have survived being marked?_ Sasuke frowned thoughtfully. _Perhaps she can help me with this…_

The second exam had begun a couple of days back, and nothing had happened yet. All they had done was scour the forest for a team with the Heaven scroll, and unfortunately, the only one they had found was Konohamaru's team. "_Let's not take their scroll,_" Naruto had pleaded with an irate Sasuke – a definite first, since Naruto never begged to Sasuke. "_Let's give those kids a chance, hey?_"

Sasuke had agreed after a few more obnoxious pleadings from Naruto. "_But if they're our last resort, I'm not taking any chances._"

It was now about sunset of the second day, and they had less than 80 hours to find the scroll and get to the tower. "This is ridiculous!" Naruto groaned, breaking a twenty minute silence. "Why can't we find a stupid scroll? Are we missing something here?"

"We should've taken those half-pints' scroll," Sasuke muttered darkly.

"There's gotta be other scrolls, Sasuke!" Naruto protested. "There were thirteen teams, and-"

_BOOM!_

The three leapt up. "What was that?" Koun asked apprehensively.

"Let's go," Sasuke beckoned, and threw the contents of his water bottle into the fire. Naruto got the remaining pieces of fish and jumped into the foliage with them.

"There must be a couple of teams fighting," he said. "Hey, Sasuke, can you check them out with Sharingan?"

Sasuke watched for movement ahead of them with Sharingan. "Yeah, I can detect a lot of erratic movement, but this isn't Byakuugan, Naruto. What I can see is limited. We'll have to move closer."

The three of them landed on a branch and hid themselves. There was so much dust in the air that only Sasuke could see movement, but nothing else. Once the dust cleared, they decided to move closer.

What they found horrified even the raven-haired prodigy – he hadn't seen such carnage since being with the Sound nins. He had known them to be as cruel and sadistic as their master, but not seeing that kind of cruelty for a while hadn't prepared him for this sight. Naruto grimaced at the scene – he had always been soft about these things, being the compassionate one, and could almost feel their pain. Koun, in all his life, had never seen anything else like this, not even in the movies, and promptly turned away to vomit the remnants of the giant fish he had taken from his teammates just a while ago.

Whoever had attacked these Sand genin knew the ways of brutality well. One genin had his hands pierced on a tree trunk with two kunai in each, and he was writhing and squeaking in pain; another genin looked as though several of her fingers were blown off, and she was now staring at them in dumbfounded horror, clutching her wrist; their third teammate was unconscious, sporting several bruises and almost all the openings in his body with blood flowing out of them.

"Are you all right?" Naruto finally had the voice to ask. He wished a medic nin like Sakura or Tsunade were here – even his untrained eye could tell they could suffer permanent damage or worse, die, if they didn't get medical attention as soon as possible. He hurriedly grabbed bandages from his pouch and wrapped the girl's bloody fingers with them to stem the blood flow. "What happened?"

The girl seemed too shell-shocked to speak, and only turned a wide, horror-filled gaze at him. She opened her mouth, yet no words came out.

Sasuke helped the genin pinned to the tree down. "What happened?" he urgently asked the shaking genin.

"Grass nin," he whispered. "They… were too strong. They took our Heaven Scroll. Then Ken over there-" he indicated his unconscious teammate, "-insulted the girl nin, and they said… they said they would beat us to an inch of our lives. Because she said…" He hiccupped. "She said it would be _fun_."

"What kind of sicko would say that?" Koun barely whispered, nausea weakening him.

"Sound nin would," Sasuke said, cold anger coating his voice.

"You're not saying-" Naruto began.

"He's sent them after me," Sasuke continued darkly. "They must have been posing as Grass nin, because most Sound nin are wanted criminals from different countries and they couldn't risk being caught." His freezing gaze met Naruto's dulled blue optics. "Look at the wounds, Naruto, Koun. This guy here had it easy – no actual jutsu was used on him. But the girl – she probably can't hear or say anything for a while, since there's a jutsu, the Kuki Bakudan (1), that can form by compressing oxygen and heat it using chakra, and she probably got too close."

He jerked his head to the unconscious boy. "He had the worst punishment. His body has been exposed to sudden changes in pressure and some parts of his organs and arteries probably exploded. The human body can only take so much." Koun and Naruto gasped in alarm. He clenched his fists. _Orochimaru, you freak – how many people are you willing to hurt to get to me?_

"Make sure those three get medical attention," he said, turning from them. "I'm going after those nins."

"Sasuke-"

"They're after me," Sasuke said bluntly. "If it's me they want, they'll get me, in the worst possible way." He leapt off into the trees, but not before he heard Naruto yell, "Don't stoop down to their level!"

* * *

"What do we do now?" Koun whimpered. "I can only give them Blood Clotting Pills and Blood Formation Pills, but that's not going to be enough because those were only meant for emergency purposes." He looked into the small bottle. "There won't be any left for us, either." 

"We can open our scroll," Naruto said grimly. "There's a seal in there that summons Chuunin who are supposed to knock us out, but if they see these three, maybe they can help." He cursed under his breath. _Why didn't Anko-sensei ever tell us how to call for help on these Chuunin in the first place?_

As Koun pulled the strap of the scroll open, however, it was knocked out of his hands by a well-aimed stone. Naruto looked up to see who threw it. "I should've known who could aim like that," Naruto said, sighing in relief. "Hey, Tenten."

"What happened here?" asked a Chuunin Naruto didn't recognize, but supposed was part of Tenten's team. "This is… this is…"

"…nothing I'd expect from an exam," continued Tenten, in a voice an octave higher than her usual. Her Chuunin teammate began healing the unconscious genin while she and the Chuunin who had spoken helped the other two up. "It's good we heard that explosion. These three aren't fit to continue the exam. We'll bring them to the hospital." Then she frowned. "Where's Uchiha Sasuke?"

"He went after the nins," Naruto replied. "Tenten, he said they were probably from Sound! They were disguised as Grass nin!"

Tenten's brown eyes widened. "What! Then I have to tell Hokage-sama and Anko-sama right away!" She gritted her teeth. "I didn't think it was possible, but it's like our first Chuunin Exam all over again. At least Hokage-sama had the sense to make precautionary measures like this. Naruto, you have to go help Sasuke – these three poseurs might be more dangerous than we can imagine. I don't think they're really just genin level." Naruto nodded at her. "Let's go," she said to her team, and they leapt into the forest and out of sight.

"Come on, Koun, let's get Sasuke," Naruto urged Koun. The younger one, however, was still staring in shock.

"Things like this… could happen?" he whispered. "I never imagined… I…"

Naruto punched him. "Pull yourself together!" he growled. "Haven't you graduated from the Ninja Academy yet? Do you still think we're playing ninja games? Because this isn't a game anymore! This is the real world! This is how it is being a shinobi!"

Koun looked at his shoes. "I – I'm sorry, Naruto-san. It's just… I've never seen something like this before. All those horror stories from school – they said that being a shinobi is like this, but I never thought that they might unfold in front of me. I must have subconsciously thought these were special cases."

Naruto sighed. "It's all right, Koun. I didn't think I'd be seeing something like this in this exam, either. To put it honestly, this exam should have only been half-real. This exam is like looking into a glass globe, like a miniature of the real shinobi world. But…" He swallowed. "Too much of the real world is in this half-real version of it. It's suspicious."

He shook his head. "Anyway, we can't just stand here. Let's go after Sasuke." Without another word, they leapt off to Sasuke's direction.

* * *

_I thought those golden eyes were familiar,_ Sasuke thought grimly. _She must've been part of those experiments._ He never liked spending time in Kabuto's extensive lab, but he had been in Sound long enough to know that they had a series of experiments to inject Orochimaru's DNA into fetuses and have that DNA assimilate with the fetuses' DNA, to see if any of Orochimaru's traits and skills would come out in them. Sasuke recalled that research to have been going on for about twelve or thirteen years, before the Snake Sannin even betrayed Konoha. 

Now he knew where he had seen those snake-like molten amber eyes – they had been his former master's own. It was like staring at a child of the snake bastard.

Sasuke followed the girl's chakra signature – even _that_ had a similarity to Orochimaru's own. When he was sure he was near enough, he stopped, sensing three different chakra signatures, one of them the girl's own. They were in a perfect triangle surrounding him, and if he were to make one stupid movement, he would probably be like the unconscious Suna genin he had seen earlier.

He quickly pivoted, sending three string-attached kunai in the directions where he felt them. As the kunai sailed through the air, he sent flame surging through the strings. He quickly evaded their attacks and did a Kawarimi to avoid their weapons.

Finally, they revealed themselves. One was tall and thin, wearing a self-satisfied smirk and his long black hair standing up on end like a palm tree. The other was short and stocky with long orangutan-like arms, fidgeting with his Grass hitai-ate Sasuke knew now was fake. But the prodigy's coal-black eyes focused on the girl, who looked like a more feminine punk version of Orochimaru. Her black lipstick-lined mouth curved up, and she mock-curtsied.

"So _very_ honored to be in your presence, Sa-su-ke-sa-ma," she purred. "My name is Chikyu. We have heard so much about you from Orochimaru-sama."

"Cut the crap," Sasuke barked. "What does the snake bastard want?"

"Oh nothing, nothing, we assure you," the tall one addressed him, crossing his arms and smirking malevolently. "We're just here to check up on you… to see how much progress you've had, staying with these little Konoha bugs."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not much," Chikyu said airily, flipping her hair so that it fanned out. "Just that your skills probably dulled out, staying in a peaceful little village like this."

"You could probably get blown away from the force of a flying shuriken," the stocky one said, laughing.

"You want to test it out?" Sasuke asked coolly, his smirk just as cold. "I'm pretty pissed at the small fry Orochimaru sent right now, but I'll go easy on you."

The tall one's eyes flashed, and the stocky one growled, stepping forward. The girl swung her arm back, holding back her two teammates. "That's a challenge, isn't it?" She smiled. "This should be fun. Well then – if you win, we'll give you our Heaven Scroll. If you lose, well, that just goes to show how much you need Orochimaru-sama's training, right?"

Before Sasuke could give a biting retort, the three of them disappeared. _They're quick,_ Sasuke thought, activating Sharingan, _but not too quick for my eyes._

They were circling him like sharks around prey, faster than normal eyes could see. But Sasuke could see their every movement – they had not reached the level he knew a Kyuubi-powered Naruto could reach. The girl named Chikyu seemed to be slowing down for an attack and he readied himself.

She broke away from the spinning cyclone around him and held up her palms towards him. Below him, the stocky one had jumped away from the spinning and held out his palms as well. The last to break out was the tall one, who had jumped way above him. Sasuke's Sharingan eyes widened.

"Now, Sainan!" Chikyu yelled.

The stocky one affirmed the command. He clapped his humongous hands, pushed into Sasuke's airspace, and suddenly, the air exploded around him. When the dust cleared, a shell-shocked Sasuke looked up to see the tall one's leg raise up and stretch to meet his stomach. His body hurtled down, and Chikyu, smirking, held out her palms to touch his back.

"Kyu na Kiatsu no Jutsu (2)!"

She pressed her open palms on his back, and her chakra warped around the air around him, changing the pressure just right to wreck the balance in his system. Chikyu smirked, panting. "Too easily you fall down, Sasuke-sama?"

"You _really_ think so, don't you," Sasuke's voice said, from a place away from his body.

Chikyu's eyes widened. "What-"

"Sasuke" then turned into a pile of soil in front of her. "A Tsuchi Bunshin!" Chikyu snarled. "Hebi, where-"

"THERE!" Sainan cried, pointing a stubby finger up at the branches, where the real Sasuke was leaning against the tree trunk, looking down at them with the same cold expression.

_I'm glad I had that jutsu taught to me,_ he thought vaguely. _So one can stretch, the other can create bombs out of thin air, and the girl has the most dangerous technique of all. She'll have to be the one to watch out for._ Letting chakra concentrate into his feet, he disappeared from their vision. As the three looked around for him, he reappeared from above them. He threw five kunai each at them, catching them on their clothes and pinning them down on the branches where they stood. Before they could react, Sasuke blew one great fireball at them.

The smoke dissipated and he found that they had gotten out with Kawarimi again. "Formation five, you guys!" Chikyu called from somewhere in the foliage. Sasuke was mildly impressed at the way their teamwork was employed – he supposed that Team 7 could probably use something like that.

From underneath him, Hebi had stretched his leg towards him and wrapped around his knees. Then the snake-like genin threw him upwards where Sainan was waiting. The stout genin let chakra flow on his giant arms and let them alternate pushing and retracting quickly, so that it felt as though bombs were punching Sasuke, who promptly blocked the attack by crossing his arms in front of him. He was fast for such a large one.

As Sasuke fell down to the ground, his face looking upwards, he found Chikyu leering at him, her palms ready to do her jutsu again. Thinking quickly, he grabbed her wrist and flipped their position. He punched her downwards to the ground, and finished it off with a perpendicular spin topped off with a kick. _Shishi_ _Rendan,_ Sasuke said to himself, leaping away from where Chikyu lay beaten up.

Her teammates converged around her as she stood up, wiping the blood that had formed in the corner of her mouth. "It's getting interesting," she said smoothly, licking off the blood from her hand. "Come on, you two."

The three of them sped to him, each dealing their individual blows. Hebi coiled himself around Sasuke to squeeze the life out of him, but Sasuke created enough heat in his body for his opponent to uncoil. When Hebi let go, Sainan went for an attack, pumping his palms alternately to produce multiple bombs. Sasuke summoned a Fuuma Shuriken from a scroll and threw it as hard as he could, disrupting the air particles Sainan used would divert the attack. He then blew another barrage of small flames at the big genin. He jumped away as Sainan swiped a fist at him after putting out the flames.

Chikyu swept her feet from under Sasuke's legs as he landed away from Sainan, and the raven-haired boy fell on his back. "It's too bad you're cute," Chikyu said, straddling his waist. "I might ruin that beautiful complexion of yours with my attack." She moved one palm to his head and the other to his lungs.

"Bite me," Sasuke spat as he grabbed her wrists again, slipped under her legs, bringing her with him so that she rolled to her back. Sasuke heaved her up by the wrists and sent her flying towards her teammates. "Learn a lesson, kunoichi: gloat _after_ you're done attacking."

It seemed that they were being pushed back. "Let's do formation eight, then," Chikyu told her teammates. Hebi sighed.

"That _is_ your favorite formation, after all," he murmured. "You're lucky," he called to Sasuke. "We're about to show you our deadliest formation."

"Who cares?" Sasuke threw back. "Let's get this over with so you lackeys from Orochimaru can go tell him I'm not coming back."

He watched Sainan direct his large palms towards him. The airspace around Sasuke exploded, and the impact blew him away, his body crashing to a tree. Before his body could slide down to the floor, Hebi had stretched his own arms like elastic bands to multiply the force the increase in distance would give the kunai between his fingers. He threw them, and they whistled in the air. With a thud, the kunai had pinned Sasuke to the tree.

Hebi then picked Chikyu up and did the same to her. She hurtled towards Sasuke, palms widespread, while the cornered shinobi couldn't move.

"HIYAAAAAAA!"

An orange something hurtled into Chikyu, grabbing her by her waist and pushing her to the ground. That orange something stood up from the bushes where they had landed. "Hey Koun! Help Sasuke off that tree!"

"Who _are_ you?" Chikyu hissed angrily.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest ninja in the world and the Fire Country's next Hokage!" the proud blond yelled, pointing his thumb to his chest. The kunoichi grit her teeth and grabbed onto his leg, sending her chakra to alter his internal pressure.

"Naruto" poofed into nothingness. "Kage Bunshin?" she said, now thoroughly irritated.

"Hell yeah that's right!" the real Naruto yelled, now helping Sasuke down from the tree with Koun. He formed more clones to help them. "Come on, Koun, let's bring them down!"

Koun, who had just given Sasuke a Blood Clotting Pill, nodded, taking out a couple of kunai. About four clones, Naruto, and Koun rushed to battle. Sainan made a couple of bunshin explode, but as he was preoccupied, Koun had stabbed him with a chakra string and sent a paralysis poison to his system. Chikyu made a move to grab the young genin's head, but luckily enough he had bent down to get his kunai. Chikyu made a quick movement to flip up and land on her feet, but as she was moving away from Koun, Naruto jumped from a branch and tackled her from above, leaving Koun free to send another chakra string where the paralysis poison would flow.

Hebi stretched his arm and wrapped around Koun to prevent him from moving his arms. As Koun struggled, Sasuke thought quickly and jumped into the fray. Before the stretchy nin could react, he had gotten the bottle of poison from Koun, spilled it onto his kunai, and stabbed Hebi with it.

Moments later, they had tied the three up with black hair, and Naruto looked through their pouches to find the Heaven Scroll. "We're good now, Sasuke, we can head on to the tower!"

But Sasuke's deepest loathing was now focused on the Sound nin. "Tell Orochimaru that I'm not coming back, and that he can rot here and in the next life."

"It's a pity, Sasuke-sama," Chikyu said softly, gazing at him with shrewd golden eyes. "You're so strong now, yet you still can't beat just the three of us alone. Maybe if you were stronger. Maybe… if you had used that power Orochimaru-sama bestowed upon you…"

Reality hit Sasuke like a brick. Yet again, he had been unable to defeat anyone without someone else's help. Could it be that they were right?

Sasuke didn't want to think about it. "Go burn in hell with that snake bastard." And he turned and walked away.

* * *

The next one and a half day saw Sasuke in a horrible mood. He hadn't spoken a word since that incident, and he was brooding deeper than usual. He had also turned so irritable that even Naruto didn't want to push it – usually he could coax Sasuke out of his bad mood with one of his lighthearted jibes or continuous banter. They had run into two different teams who wanted one of their scrolls, and Sasuke had beaten them up without breaking a sweat or his scowl. Naruto was half-relieved (at least Sasuke found something to take his horrible mood out on) and half-annoyed (he had to stop Sasuke from breaking a fellow genin's skull) at this behavior. 

"Sasuke," he sighed gruffly as he stoked the fire they had made. The obsidian-eyed Uchiha looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "Why don't you talk about what's wrong, for once?"

Sasuke frowned, but said nothing.

"I mean," Naruto continued, "if you had anything bothering you, we'd help you no sweat. Because I, the great Uzumaki Naruto-sama, can think of lots of possible solutions to any problem!" He laughed to himself, but Sasuke wasn't amused.

"I don't have to tell you anything if I don't want to," he said sharply.

"I've read somewhere that talking often helps in these things," Koun offered timidly, looking up from his work of sorting the herbs he had collected in the forest.

"And Kiba told me that Shino said once that talking with teammates is part of teamwork," Naruto added.

"It's also part of teamwork to let your teammates solve their own problems once in a while," Sasuke replied irritably.

The cerulean-orbed nin scratched his head in frustration. _What the heck does it take to get through this guy's thick head?_ "Really, Sasuke," he groaned. "If Sakura-chan could see you right now, she'd be so angry 'cause you wouldn't talk, or she'd get so depressed that _I'd_ get angry and beat you up!"

Sasuke scowled deeper, a memory seeping into his brain.

"_Why won't you say anything? Why do you shut everyone out? Why won't you say anything to me?_"

He shook the memory out of his mind. "I'll tell you when I'm ready," he muttered, finally relenting. "As of now, I'm not."

Naruto and Koun looked at each other, then both shrugged. There were just some things that you couldn't push with this ebony-haired emo.

Sasuke couldn't get what Chikyu had slyly mentioned to him out of his head. He really wanted to ignore it, but the doubt her words instilled on him ate him up inside. What if she was right? What if he truly had become softer and less skilled as he stayed in Konoha? It was possible, and not even just a little. Spending time with his team wore his defenses down and he didn't know if it was a good thing or not.

_Why did I stay here in the first place? I said I thought that I would be stronger here, since the people who I thought were beneath me got stronger here as well. I also said that I need them as much as they need me. But what if being strong means not needing anyone but one's self to fight one's battles? The logic seems correct. What am I giving up by staying here? If I'm giving up something, is it something bigger than what I'm gaining?_

Sasuke sank his raven-haired head into his knees as he tried to sleep. Some answers come in sleep, and he certainly hoped his questions would get some replies in his dreams.

* * *

"Tenten, reporting, ma'am." The twin bun-haired girl stood erect in front of Tsunade's desk, in the makeshift office at the Forest of Death Tower. The Hokage had been spared from desk work at the Hokage Tower only just then, meaning she hadn't heard Tenten's version of the story. 

She had her fingers interlaced, a solemn expression befalling her youthful face, making her look almost as old as she really was. "Tell me everything."

"We were on our patrol at the east of the second radius of the forest," Tenten related, "when we heard a powerful explosion. We went on to investigate, and we located the source about 75 meters 30 degrees west of our position. The perpetrators had gone, but we found Team Kakashi tending to the injured genin. Or rather, we found Naruto and Koun doing so. Uchiha Sasuke had gone off in search of the perpetrators, claiming they were Sound nin probably after him."

Tsunade's eyes flashed. "Did Uchiha Sasuke do anything foolish?"

"We observed him a few hours later with minor injuries, but with his team. We didn't get a chance to interrogate them as to how these genin looked, but Naruto said they were posing as Grass nin. Do we have an order to look for these genin and bring them into custody?"

Tsunade stared at her desk in contemplation. "No," she said at last. "Orochimaru wants to check up on Sasuke, but he also wants to test out his village's strength through the exam. I know how Orochimaru's mind works for the most part – he'll be glad of anything that will prove his strength to me. Let them be. We'll show him just what my genin are made of."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama," Tenten said.

"I want a team to keep an eye on them, however," Tsunade said. "There shall be no more brutal beatings like that as long as they're in Konoha. And I don't want them confronting Sasuke yet – not when I'm not around." Her almond eyes flickered to the side, where Kiba and Chouji stood on guard.

"Inuzuka, Akimichi – I want you to take part of a team that will guard on these rogue nin. Take these files of the registered foreign examinees-" she held out a folder thick with documents of foreign examinees, "-and look through them. Find out which team we're looking for."

"Roger, Hokage-sama," Kiba said, saluting, while Akamaru barked respectfully. Chouji saluted as well.

"All right, Inuzuka and Akimichi, move out. I want a radio report of their activities every hour on the hour. They won't get away with hurting genin like that again."

* * *

The fifth day of the exam dawned, with only three more hours to spare. Naruto found it hard to believe that time certainly did pass faster when you were rushing. There was a small saying they often repeated in the Academy, and he was sure that it applied now: "Time flies fast when you're having fun, and flies faster when you're cramming." 

They were certainly cramming the few hours of the fifth day now – it couldn't be disputed that some of the teams could be waiting around the radius closest to the Tower, ready to ambush the teams who had the scroll they were looking for. There were only eleven teams left to compete with – ten if they decided not to compete with Konohamaru's team.

"I wonder how they're holding up," Naruto mused aloud.

"Stop worrying about them," Sasuke muttered. "You should be worrying about the teams waiting to ambush us."

"Why should I be worried about that?" Naruto asked huffily. "Didn't we win in those fights with those teams?"

As of recent count, they had already dispatched four teams, including the Grass poseurs. It seemed their team could do no wrong. "That's true – but we'll never know if we're going to meet up with genin stronger than us."

"Please!" Naruto snorted. "The people stronger than us are the ones who aren't genin anymore!"

"You never know if there's another person _just like you_ in this exam," Sasuke retorted. Naruto knew the implication of his words, though Koun didn't – there could be other jinchuuriki in the exam.

Their conversation was cut short when Sasuke signaled them to stop. Naruto and Koun sent him a questioning look, and he pointed to the path in front of them – he could see metal strings likely to set off traps about thirty meters from them. Not only that, but there were three genin who had a cloaking jutsu covering them right in front of him. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "As if anyone wouldn't see through your traps, Konohamaru."

The cloaking jutsu dissolved from Konohamaru and his teammates, and the Third's grandson glared at him. "We got the team who came before you guys," he said crossly. "It does _too_ work!" To himself, he added, _You have no right to mock me, you traitor._

"Did you guys get the scrolls you need?" Naruto asked.

"We didn't," Moegi piped up. "The nins we trapped had the same scroll we had, so we let them go."

"So you were just waiting here till someone passed by with the scroll you needed?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"How stupid," Sasuke muttered uninterestedly.

"It's our only choice!" Konohamaru protested. "We're not that strong so we have to rely on our traps. But we can't find anyone with an Earth Scroll-"

"Well then, this is perfect," a voice not coming from either team spoke. "We happen to need the scroll that you have."

The six of them looked up. Koun's eyes widened. "Sasuke-san, they're-"

Sasuke nodded. For sure, this was the second group of troublemaking Grass nin they had observed during the exam. The one who had spoken had long black hair up in a ponytail, and seemed to be the leader. He was flanked by two other nin – a female with long dark hair and a serene look on her face, and a large, muscular one with a mask-like expression.

Without warning, the three Grass nin jumped in to attack Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. The leader went for Konohamaru, who blocked the swipe of kunai with his own. Naruto instinctively stepped forward to fight, but Konohamaru gave him a warning glare quite unlike the little brat Naruto knew. "Naruto-niichan, stay out of this! This is _our_ fight!"

Naruto opened his mouth to protest, but Sasuke shook his head. "They're never going to improve if you keep fighting their battles, Naruto," he said quietly.

"But Sasuke-san, weren't they the trouble-making nins that Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san were talking about?" Koun asked. "If they turned out to be stronger than we expect-"

"We'll jump in if we think it's overkill," Sasuke said with a tone of finality. Naruto and Koun had no choice but to agree.

"Pretty brave of you to refuse a more experienced nin's help," the leader told Konohamaru as the smaller one struggled to push him back.

"We'll fight our own battles," Konohamaru told him. He broke out of the deadlock of kunai and rolled out of the way as the Grass nin tripped. As the nin was in mid-trip, Konohamaru appeared behind him and dived at the nin's back, pinning him down. The Sandaime's grandson attempted to reach into the nin's pouch and look for the scroll they needed.

"Fuan!" the female nin, engaged in battle with Udon, warned the leader. "The scroll!"

"I know, Makkuro!" the leader responded, grabbing Konohamaru's ankle and throwing him off. Konohamaru rolled to a halt to the ground, but he stood up quickly enough to deflect the rain of senbon Fuan threw towards him.

Meanwhile, Moegi was dodging the rain of blows the muscular one was trying to deal her with. After one particularly close call, in which the enemy tried to punch her only to have his fist come in contact with the ground, she found an opening. As he was still connected to the ground, Moegi slid under him to knock him off his feet. When he tripped, she rolled away and jumped up above, throwing four kunai with metal strings attached. She made the strings crisscross so that it formed a net, and the makeshift net with the kunai anchors landed on the Grass nin, holding him to the ground.

Udon was avoiding the kunai and shuriken the female nin named Makkuro was throwing at him. Koun noted the familiar glint on the kunai and shuriken – they were tainted with a clear, thinly spread liquid that he recognized was an enzyme that came from a Venus Fly Trap. Koun's eyes caught sight of a kunai landing on a tree trunk and corroding its surface. If it hit the rookie genin, it would most likely corrode his skin.

A kunai grazed Udon's jacket, and the liquid made his jacket corrode. Udon paid no mind to it and threw several shuriken at Makkuro. The female nin used a kunai as a shield, but failed to see that where Udon had disappeared to. The Grass nin looked around, and without her knowing, Udon had used the cloaking technique again to get behind her and tie her feet with metal string to a tree.

"They're doing pretty good," Sasuke muttered blithely, and Naruto grinned broadly, pride rising in him.

_I wonder if this is the same feeling Kakashi-sensei gets when he sees us kick ass. _

"Go kick ass, Konohamaru!" Naruto cheered, pumping his fist up and down. Konohamaru, heartened by the encouragement, drove a great punch to Fuan's gut, which stunned the taller nin. In a flash, Konohamaru slipped his hand into the pouch and grabbed the Earth Scroll from it. As Fuan tumbled in pain, Konohamaru retreated to the side of the forest where his teammates were waiting, cheering him on.

"Let's run towards the Tower before they recover!" Konohamaru told his group.

"Let's go!" Moegi exclaimed, and Udon nodded.

But before they could take another step, they were suddenly surrounded by four bunshin of Fuan, who had stood up. "We underestimated you," he said simply, spitting out the blood in his mouth. "We won't make the same mistake this time."

"Get lost!" Konohamaru yelled. "We won fair and square."

"I'm sorry," Fuan continued calmly, "but there's no such thing as "fair and square" in this world. There's only "eat or be eaten." You see, you may have something that we want more than that scroll in your hands."

Konohamaru's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And what's that?"

"You're the Sandaime Hokage's grandson, aren't you?" Fuan said, and in the Konoha nins' eyes sparked alarm. "If you are, then you must know things about your village that no one else knows, like certain weaknesses in its structure. Or perhaps, you know certain jutsus that aren't usually taught to anyone. We want that knowledge, to put it simply."

"I'm not telling you anything!" Konohamaru shouted.

"No," Fuan said, sighing. "But our jutsu will. Osore, Makkuro, come on."

Before anyone could react, Fuan's bunshin went for Konohamaru, knocking his teammates away. Konohamaru put the scroll in his pocket and fought the bunshin off him. Moegi and Udon stood up and tried to help Konohamaru – however, Osore and Makkuro had broken away from their bindings and blocked them off from assisting their leader.

"Sasuke, now would be a really good time to help them out!" Naruto growled.

"This is an entirely different thing now!" Koun said, panicking.

"Just shush!" Sasuke barked. "We're not about to waste our energy helping people who can do this themselves!"

Moegi began dodging Osore's large fists again, trying once more to find an opening. "Udon! Let's go over _there_!" she yelled to her teammate, indicating where they had set up traps. She ran towards the direction she pointed to, but tripped. She realized in horror that grass had curled around her ankles and were holding her fast.

"Kusashibari no Jutsu (3)," Osore said, pressing his palms against the ground as the grass crept up Moegi's legs. The orange-haired girl swiped her kunai through the grass and scrambled away, now avoiding the grass he was sending to bind her.

Makkuro had not left her place, knowing that Udon was presumably trying to draw her closer to the traps they had set up. Instead, she threw a series of kunai at his feet, and he jumped up to avoid them. She stomped her foot, sending chakra into the ground, and made bamboo grass grow where he was likely to land. The kunai she threw cut through the bamboo, making them sharp enough to impale someone. Udon made a frantic movement to dodge these dangerous bamboo spikes as well, and ended up grazing his feet but thankfully rolling away with most of his body intact.

Meantime, Fuan and Konohamaru were still engaged in the battle. A two bunshin rushed towards Konohamaru, who ducked so both bunshin would attack each other. He held a kunai in each of his hands, and drove them to the feet of the bunshin. When they should've disappeared, the gravel only seemed to break away from their feet. Konohamaru scampered away as the two bunshin aimed their fists down at him.

"They should've disappeared!" Koun exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Those are Iwa Bunshin (4)," Sasuke explained, not taking his eyes off the battle. "They're made of rocks and gravel, and it takes many tries to make them disappear, because they're one of the hardiest types of bunshin. But there's a price to pay. The user needs to concentrate to make them move, meaning-"

"-meaning that Konohamaru can just break that guy's concentration to make them disappear!" Naruto realized. Sasuke nodded.

Konohamaru threw a kunai at two of the Iwa Bunshin, but the only result of this was for the kunai to remain stuck to their foreheads. The preteen whirled quickly and threw another two kunai with explosive tags, which detonated and made rubble scatter around the place. When the dust cleared, Konohamaru had already stuck two more explosive tags at the other two bunshin, which promptly exploded. Before Fuan could make more, Konohamaru threw shuriken that wounded his arms, effectively disrupting his concentration.

Konohamaru, who had donned his trademark goggles, looked around to see if the dust had cleared yet. Then he heard Moegi scream. "Konohamaru-chan, look out!"

Too late he turned around – a giant Venus Fly Trap had grown behind him and was aiming for his head. Makkuro had used the dusty air as an element of surprise to spring the giant plant behind Konohamaru. Naruto yelled out loud when the carnivorous herb reached and covered Konohamaru's head.

Udon and Moegi had been tied down by Osore as Makkuro closed her eyes and held her index fingers together, concentrating, a slender curl of the Venus Fly Trap's stem around her wrist. "Makkuro is now absorbing the knowledge her Venus Fly Trap extracting from your Konohamaru," Fuan drawled. "That's how we extract information – by Seishin Kodo Bassui (5)."

"Sasuke, let's get them _now_!" Naruto growled.

"No," Sasuke said, grabbing onto Naruto collar to restrain him. "Look."

Udon's thick grass ropes were loosening as he wriggled out of them; Moegi seemed to be heating herself up with a technique Sasuke recognized as the same one he used to get out of Hebi's grasp the other day. The grass burned off her, and she helped Udon up. Osore only noticed that they had escaped when they ran towards where Konohamaru was being held.

Osore gave a feral growl and chased after the two rookies, who split up. Fuan ran after Moegi, who was aiming to break Makkuro's concentration. Udon, who now had Osore's attention, led him through the forest. The rookie of the two noticed they were nearing the ground trap they had made. Jumping just an inch before the earth covered trap, Udon looked back to see that Osore had stepped into the trap, falling into the hole. He knew now that the big Grass nin wouldn't be going anywhere – the trap had bamboo spikes below, and the walls where one could cling was muddy and slippery.

Moegi and Fuan were still on the wild goose chase. The girl's stamina was giving way (she regretted not eating breakfast) and tripped on her own feet just as Fuan was in view. Naruto stood ready to rescue her, but Moegi's eyes suddenly sparked. Before anyone could react, she grabbed her kunai and cut the metal string just in front of her nose. A log swung from behind Fuan, which caught his back and sent him flying. The log grazed her back, and Moegi thanked the heavens she was lying prostate.

Konohamaru's lower half was still struggling to get out of the Venus Fly Trap, and Makkuro was still deep in concentration. Sasuke watched as Konohamaru made use of his remaining wits and form a couple of seals. Makkuro's dark eyelids flew open in shock as the Venus Fly Trap spit Konohamaru out and the curl around her wrist was cut.

The goo-covered Konohamaru stood up and smirked. "I really don't have village secrets that I know of," he said, "but there _is_ one jutsu Gramps taught me when he was alive – the Jutsu Sho (6). It negates the technique of the opponent with the same amount of chakra the opponent dishes out."

Makkuro only frowned at him and launched herself at him. But before she could get anywhere, Moegi and Udon came out of their cloaking jutsu to reveal they had tied her feet again. "This time, it's black hair," Moegi said, grinning tiredly at Konohamaru.

"But that was our last stock!" their leader protested.

"Don't look at me – she made me do it," Udon said.

Naruto grinned. "You're actually better than I expected!"

Konohamaru stuck his tongue out at Naruto. "You better believe it, Naruto-niichan!"

Everyone let their guard down, but Sasuke's eyes caught something flash behind Konohamaru. The brunet gasped when his pocket felt lighter. When they turned, it was Fuan with their Earth scroll. "Well, even if you won," he said, smirking, "I can at least make sure you won't make Chuunin this year."

Konohamaru had no energy to continue fighting, and his teammates looked as tired as he was. Nevertheless, he took a step forward.

Suddenly, Fuan buckled down, unconscious. Behind him was Sasuke, who held the scroll. He tossed it to a dumbfounded Konohamaru without a word.

"B-but Sasuke," Naruto said, surprised, "you said-"

"-to step in when it clearly is overkill," Sasuke continued smoothly. "I kept my word."

Moegi and Udon stared at Sasuke admiringly, but Konohamaru could only gape at him. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and all the younger boy's doubts about the Uchiha vanished. Konohamaru launched himself onto Sasuke, tackling him to the ground. "Thank you, Sasuke-_niichan_!"

Sasuke couldn't decide which was more annoying – the fact that a goo-covered brat was hugging him, the brand-new attachment to his name, the other fact that said goo-covered brat's teammates had also tackled him to the ground, or the thing about Naruto and Koun buckling over in laughter. "That's what he gets for acting all cool and stuff!" Naruto snorted.

"If you don't get off," Sasuke hissed dangerously, "I'll make sure you brats don't have the limbs to hug anyone again."

They stared at him for a moment, but continued hugging him anyway.

"_GET OFF!!!_"

* * *

After another hour of travel, they found the Tower at last. "Finally!" Naruto exclaimed. "I really, really want to lie down! We have about five hours to spare until time's up, right?" 

Sasuke nodded. "Aa."

"That means we complete this stage, right?" Koun asked enthusiastically.

"Of course it means that!" Naruto said loudly as they landed on the steps leading up to the tower.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Sasuke said glumly. "We still have the third exam, and if we're lucky, the stupid preliminaries."

"Well, we got through the Forest of Death _alive_," Naruto pointed out.

"That's only because we're not exactly genin level skill-wise," Sasuke shot back.

"Then that means we're going to ace the third exam!" Naruto said. "We'll be fighting genin – it'll be cake!"

Koun laughed uncomfortably. "Well, it won't be for me. My bad luck might come back."

"I thought we told you it's only right timing you need," Sasuke said, giving him a scolding look.

"Besides, if you avoid cracks and walking under ladders and having black cats walk across you, you'll probably keep having good luck!" Naruto added brightly. Sasuke rolled his eyes and began to insult Naruto, but something caught his eye again.

They were already in front of the many doors that led to the inside of the Tower, and Konohamaru's team had already gone ahead. There was another team positioned to open another door, and Sasuke turned his attention to them.

His obsidian eyes met amber ones for the third time that week. Chikyu, Sainan and Hebi, the Sound posing as Grass nins, were there. "They passed," Sasuke said to his teammates quietly. Naruto bared his teeth, while Koun looked cautious.

Chikyu waved at Sasuke. "We'll see you in the matches then, Sasuke-sama!" she chirped, but Team Kakashi didn't miss the malevolent sparkle in her golden eyes. She pushed their doors open, and stepped inside.

"We better get in too," Naruto said, all the cheer in his voice drained. It was a while since Sasuke caught the azure-eyed boy looking so serious.

Together, they pushed the doors open, and stepped into the entrance hall, ready to open their scrolls.

* * *

"Getting two new scrolls turned out to be pretty dull and boring." 

"Tell me about it. It didn't make me get serious like with Konohamaru-chan's team."

Osore, Makkuro, and Fuan were standing at the edge of the forest, watching the genin team they had assaulted get their chakra sucked out by another of Makkuro's Venus Fly Traps. The strands of the plant had coiled around her and her teammates' wrists, feeding them with the absorbed chakra.

"The funny thing is," Makkuro said quietly, watching her plant, "I never got anything important out of the kid. Perhaps his grandfather doesn't trust him as much as we thought he would."

"Or probably the operation just got aborted before you got anything," Osore theorized.

Makkuro seemed to take that as a personal insult and huffed. "Not likely."

"Anyway," Fuan said, rolling his head around his neck to get rid of the pain, "I have a score to settle with that Sasuke guy. It still hurts where he hit it." He grinned at his teammates, who only nodded expressionlessly as the plant's strands slackened from their wrists. "Let's get to the third exam."

They leapt off, leaving the genin they had taken the scrolls from looking as dry as husks.

* * *

**Sasuke:** The third exam is probably the only exam I really like. This is where the actual excitement starts – this is where everyone's skills can really be scrutinized. I've seen Naruto at work already – but never as a spectator. This will be another chance to measure his skills from another vantage point. 

Truth be told, I'm not looking forward to fighting that Chikyu girl or her teammates. It'll be extremely boring to fight someone like her. But if she's here, then it is very likely that the snake bastard or his favorite lackey is here. Or both.

Next chapter... _Proper Advice – First Two Matches_.

Naruto, If you tell me I'm upset about not getting good luck from Sakura again, I'm going to strangle you!

* * *

**AN:** (1) Air Bomb (made up)  
(2) Sudden Pressure Technique (made up)  
(3) Grass Bind Technique (made up)  
(4) Rock Clone (made up)  
(5) Mind Extraction (made up)  
(6) Technique Neutralize 

I had a hard time writing this chapter, mostly because of the fight scene between Konohamaru Corps and the real Grass nin. I hope you weren't too confused with the new enemies – I needed new faces for them to fight. If you really read the descriptions of the Sound nin, you'll see that they were modeled after three Homunculi in Full Metal Alchemist – Envy, Gluttony, and Lust.

As you notice, I made up a lot of the techniques except for the sixth – the Sandaime really performed that sixth one. I had to look at Wikipedia to see what jutsu the Sandaime may have taught Konohamaru, and that's the only one that seemed doable at Konohamaru's level. But whatever.

Did you know that in Japanese culture, the middle finger doesn't imply what it implies in Western culture? The middle finger is just a symbol of defiance. When I learned about this, I thought it would be perfect for a lighthearted moment of defiance of Naruto to Sasuke. That's why I put it there - not particularly because Naruto is a foul kid.

Sakura didn't appear, not even once. Hehe. She'll be appearing soon, sooner than you might expect. Well, leave a review! They're like the batteries that keep me working! So loooong reviews are like, D batteries!


	16. Proper Advice – First Two Matches

**AN:** I found the need to update as fast as I can. I mean, it's been more than a year (whoa) and I still haven't reached half of the epic! Maybe I should ask for help. I've asked Yummei-chan to cooperate several times, but then again, I pester her with schoolwork as well and I can't depend on her all the time. I need _real_ help. _Really._

In this chapter, several characters are making reappearances. We'll also be watching the matches between certain people. I think you might get bored with one – it's a fight between OCs, so please deal with it as you see fit. I just want to write it out for the sake of chronology. But I'm going to do away with the other fights, so don't worry. Please enjoy!

**Love and gratitude to: K.C., rebel-girl, XxkounchihimexX (**they don't exist in my fic for now... but I might add them later**), Little Minamino, cha cha dancer, candycoatedkayla, Crystal Koneko, Dirty chiban, Yondaime Remembered, Komo Pineconeseed, Saya Moonshadow, baby's breath, Dreamseeker, Silver Warrior, Kawaii IceCream, Dust-in, BuBbLe GuM cHeRrY, 2supersmart, icygirl2, Missymee-mee, InuObsessed o.o, seguha, Kyuuketsu Tsuki, stealth67, Gokusgrl-Saiyuki, Kiwako, Kawaii-Sak-Bloom, charl, sasukerox1, Asha3, clueless-gal, akira-hime, SulliMike23, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, MyFallenAngel, animevivverz, izumi-chan, RasenganXChidori, sakuE-chan, Great Saiyaman, Only Secret, LadyOfWolves (**that's for me to know and you to find out**), Phazon Droid, Icecream Skittles Addict, Dragon Man 180, megaroony (**if E batteries existed, this was it**), Kaze-Yume No Tenshi, edakumi-sama, ShinkuNoTenshi, animemistress419, Sakura-Moonlight, CrazyGirlofManyNames, fuu-nk, Mara, sasusakufaves, sillymail, Green Animelover, Mirror and Image, NewSon (**ooh, thanks for telling me! I'll put that bit in the next chapter**), Hinata-hime (**heh. Maybe Sasuke should become a bit like Kaka-sensei in my fic...**), NazaliaSan (**thanks for the long review!**), SarcasticallyTroublesomeGirl, Dark Overlord Bunny of Evil, Inuzuka Nin, Lil' Bunny Chan, lenlen, hopping-bunny, Hyousetsu, HyperMM, Kunoichi142, fiery frost, IX-ForgottenAngel-XI (**the next arc is dedicated to the Hyuugas. You'll get to see her strength there**), MCM...** and those who recharged my batteries!

* * *

**Chapter 16: Proper Advice – First Two Matches**

* * *

"It's not as big as I remember." 

These were Naruto's first words as they entered the hall. "It's because we were a lot smaller when we first were here," Sasuke said, shrugging.

"It's really been that long, huh?" Naruto said fondly, looking up at the inscription hanging on the wall. Koun looked up as well.

"What's that saying mean, Naruto-san?" he asked. "There's a character missing, too."

"I can't remember," Naruto replied, grinning haplessly, and Koun fell over comically. "Hey, it _was_ a long time ago! Ask the Chuunin who'll brief us!"

"Let's open the scrolls," Sasuke said, taking the two scrolls out from his pouch. He tossed the Heaven Scroll at Naruto.

"Are you sure we're supposed to open it?" Koun asked.

"What do you take us for?" Sasuke snapped. Koun recoiled.

Without waiting for another protest, Sasuke and Naruto unfurled the scrolls. In the scrolls was one certain character – Jin. There was a resounding _poof_, and there was smoke all around. The three of them squinted through the haze to make out the outline. The smoke cleared to reveal-

-one grinning Haruno Sakura.

Even Sasuke's jaw dropped along with the two others when Sakura appeared from the scroll. Koun, surprisingly, was the first to recover. "Sakura-san!" he exclaimed in greeting. "We should've expected this!"

Sakura laughed, and Naruto couldn't help but think that he had missed her voice even if it was just less than a week. "I had to beg Tsunade-shishou to let me greet you," she explained, still grinning. "I'm glad you guys made it." Her smile softened to a concerned one. "After I heard what happened in the forest, I couldn't help but believe otherwise."

"You seriously have no faith in us," Sasuke said bluntly.

Sakura pouted, a little offended. "That's not true! You know me when I get worried!"

"My point exactly. If you had a little more faith in us, you wouldn't have to worry."

"I have all the faith in the world in you guys, and you know that," Sakura said. "Tell me it's normal that I don't worry about you."

"Well, putting all that aside," Naruto said, "I'm really happy that Tsunade-baachan allowed you to greet us!" He wrapped his arms around Sakura tightly.

"Ick, Naruto, you stink!" Sakura exclaimed, but didn't pull away. Naruto twirled her around and pushed her in front of Sasuke.

"I'm sure Sasuke would _love_ to hug you too," the blond said, grinning naughtily. Sasuke and Sakura both colored.

"Do you really want to get hit so badly, freakin' idiot?" the Uchiha prodigy seethed.

Sakura, however, took on Naruto's invitation and hugged Sasuke around the neck. "I'm glad you made it, Sasuke-kun!" she squealed. Sasuke said nothing, maintaining a properly petulant expression.

Sakura hugged Koun too, who blushed. "I'm glad your luck is turning around, Koun!"

"Don't jinx it by saying so, Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested, but everyone ignored him.

"Right," Sakura said briskly, taking on a more business-like tone. "I have to brief you guys about the third exam. If you guys remember, the inscription means that those who are more of heaven, or more brains than brawn, like Koun, should seek balance and train more. Those who are of earth, or more brawn than brains, like Naruto, should also seek balance and study more. And those who are balanced, like Sasuke-kun, should train more and maintain that balance.

"The prelims will start in three hours, but the time limit of the second exam ends in one hour. The extra two hours is allotted by Tsunade-shishou for us medics to heal whatever injury that you guys have, and give you a meal. Then, we'll have the first half of the matches today and the next half tomorrow."

"Why is the exam split in two?" Sasuke inquired.

"The whole thing will be in tournament style – you get to fight in something like a preliminary match today, and move up a level once you've beaten someone. The people who move up a level today will fight in the atrium tomorrow. The best fighters are made to rest the night because everyone wants you to be in tiptop shape – before you rip each other to shreds in front of thousands of people."

"That's a nice way to put it," Naruto said, grimacing.

"So there are still preliminaries?" Sasuke asked.

"No," Sakura replied. "Even if a person can't make it to the second round, his or her skills will still be judged. They may be able to move up to Chuunin rank if they play it right. This tournament style is only to entertain the people who want to see you guys tear out each other's throats – if there weren't any daimyos or Kages like that, we'd have judged the Chuunin Exam much faster."

Sakura took a breath and continued. "Now, there's something new in the exam. It's going to be televised."

Naruto's eyes popped out of their sockets. "Televised?"

"Yup. In the first half, only the daimyos and the Kages will be present, along with the examiners and examinees, but the rest of the world will be watching through their TV sets. In the second half tomorrow, you will fight in the atrium with hundreds of people present, but it's still televised. The reason why the number of contenders is halved is because the best matches are meant to be watched by more people. It adds to the effect."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You were going for an effect?"

"Televised!" Naruto repeated, still not getting over the shock.

"Yes, Naruto, televised. Now-"

"Everyone is going to see my greatness!" Naruto exclaimed, claiming an imaginary spotlight.

"Everyone is going to see my mistakes," Koun whimpered, cowering under his arms.

"Be serious, you guys!" Sakura growled, stamping her foot and making a long crack along the floor. Koun and Naruto gulped, and Sasuke eyed her foot warily. The volume of her voice dropped a notch. "Kotetsu-san and Izumo-san warned you without permission about something, right?" The three of them nodded. "They confessed to doing so, but Tsunade-shishou forgave them, seeing as it helped you with the Grass poseurs. So I'm going to warn you now – be wary of your surroundings. We have a feeling, that since Sound nins have arrived on the scene, that something big might go down this year."

"I had a hunch about that," Sasuke said sarcastically.

"Sasuke-kun, what happened back there with the Sound nin?" Sakura asked. "I'm not the only one who wants to know."

"They were "checking up" on me, on Orochimaru's orders," Sasuke replied. "That's where we got our second scroll. But they made it to the third exam – we met them again at the Tower's threshold. You might want to tell the Hokage to search the Tower because Orochimaru or Kabuto might be here."

Sakura sighed with finality. "I'll do that. Now, let's get you guys to the Main Hall. We'll have to get you as well rested as possible."

* * *

"That hurts, Tsunade-baachan!" Konohamaru yelled as the Hokage herself dabbed antiseptic on his wound. 

"Don't be a baby," she snapped, focusing her attention on the wound. "It's just a little antiseptic before I close the wound."

"Can't you do it without antiseptic?" Konohamaru asked, wincing again when Tsunade dabbed more antiseptic on the wound.

"I like seeing you suffer," Tsunade told him, smiling.

"Gah! You evil old hag!" Konohamaru yelled. Tsunade calmly grabbed him in a headlock, even as she was treating his knee.

Moegi laughed at the two's antics. "You deserve that, Konohamaru-chan," she chortled. "You shouldn't be so disrespectful to Tsunade-sama."

"Naruto-niichan calls her "baachan" too," Konohamaru said ruefully.

"Yes, and I don't want you turning into another Naruto," Tsunade said calmly, tightening the headlock.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade lifted her head. "Ah, it's you, Hinata." The Hyuuga heiress bowed politely. "Thank you for volunteering your time here. Is there a problem?"

"N-none at all, Tsunade-sama," Hinata said shyly. "I mean, Sakura-chan just came in with Naruto-kun and his team, and I alerted you, just as you requested."

"I see," Tsunade said, nodding. "Well, I'd like you to make sure these three-" She nodded at the Konohamaru Corps (Konohamaru coughing to get his breath back), "-get a meal and whatever they need to recharge before the third exam. I'm going to go see Team Kakashi."

Hinata nodded and began to tend to the three. Tsunade strode across the room towards the three, who were now being fussed over by Sakura. She was in the middle of closing Sasuke's wound. "Sakura," she said, nodding to her protégé.

"Ah, Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura exclaimed. "Do you need a moment with them?"

"Stay, Sakura," Tsunade said. "I only want to know what happened in the forest."

"We have to tell people _again_?" Naruto complained. Tsunade gave him a withering look, and he cringed. For the second time, Sasuke repeated the entire story, from the part where they heard an explosion to the part wherein they met the nin again going into the Tower.

"That's them," Sasuke said, casting a very small glance at the Sound nin wearing Grass hitai-ate, now being healed by Shizune and a couple other medic nin. "You had better search the Tower, Hokage-sama. _He_ might be here."

"I know," Tsunade said grimly. "I'll have someone check the entire Tower for anything suspicious later. I would go, myself, but my absence would be entirely conspicuous." She nodded to them and turned away to tend to the new arrivals, who had opened the doors just then.

"It's those real Grass nin!" Naruto exclaimed, and Sasuke shushed him. Sure enough, Fuan, Osore, and Makkuro had already sauntered in, lead by Lee, into the Main Hall. "So they managed to get here after all!"

"They must've ambushed a team who already had two scrolls," Koun theorized. "That's probably how they got new scrolls so quickly."

"Is there really anything sinister about them?" Sakura asked. "They don't seem to give off any negative aura."

"Not from this distance," Sasuke muttered. "They're bad news, all right."

Sakura gave a small sigh as she stood up. "Well, bad news or not, I'm a medic nin, and I'll have to take care of them as well." She smiled at her teammates and Koun. "Eat and rest up – you've got about a couple of hours to kill before the matches start." She bid them goodbye.

"Wow," Naruto said after a long while of silence, looking around as more people filed into the room. "This must be something really big – a lot of important-looking people are here. I wonder where Gaara is," he mused. "He's _got_ to be here, now, right? He's the most important person in Sand!"

"For that, Naruto, you won't have to take a number to get an appointment," a deep feminine voice said behind him.

"Temari!" Naruto yelled, and the blonde winced, but smiled all the same. He reached out to hug the woman, but she whacked him with her fan instead. "Geez, you didn't have to _hit_ me!"

"Serves you right for trying to hug my sister," another voice said, and Naruto turned to see Kankuro grinning from behind his facial paint. "S'up, Naruto."

"All _right_!" Naruto exclaimed. "If you guys are here, then-"

"Hn."

He turned to the other direction once more, and he found Gaara and Sasuke staring at each other. Sasuke held a defensive glare on his face, while Gaara only deliberated him thoughtfully. Koun, however, again got caught in the deadlock of dagger looks and was wincing at the tension. Naruto pitied him – he knew, that for timid people such as their teammate, both presences were intimidating.

Gaara broke his gaze from Sasuke's, and turned to Naruto and nodded – already a sign of camaraderie from the Shukaku boy. "How're you doin', Gaara?" Naruto greeted happily as he lightly punched Gaara's shoulder in greeting. "I'd thought you'd be here, y'know!"

"Oi, Temari," a lazy drawl said in the background. Naruto met Shikamaru's drooped eyes. "You've met up with our troublesome ball of energy, huh?"

"Gaara wanted to see Naruto and Sasuke," Temari explained, as Gaara blinked at Naruto's form of greeting. "And Sakura, too."

"Yeah, I haven't seen that girl for a while," Kankuro said casually. "She was always in Sand about a year ago, eh, Temari? That Sakura's great."

Sasuke froze at the mention of Sakura's name from Kankuro. Just how were they acquainted? "Why do _you_ want to know?"

Lee, who had joined them upon hearing Naruto's voice, explained Sakura was on medic duty. However, Kankuro and Temari watched Sasuke with calculating gazes. The two, having been raised in harsh conditions, had extremely good radars in finding discomfort and could manipulate them as they please. A sidelong gaze at each other confirmed their mutual thoughts: _He's jealous._

_This should be fun,_ Temari said to herself, a grin slowly creeping up her tanned face.

_It'll be interesting to play with the Uchiha,_ Kankuro thought, his smirk spreading.

_Hohboy_, Shikamaru thought, scratching the back of his neck. _They've found a new plaything. This is going to get troublesome._

"What should you do now, Kankuro?" Temari lamented loudly. "You were supposed to thank her for something, right?" Sasuke's head snapped up. "You have yet to thank her for the _physical comfort_ of her soft, gentle _hands-_"

"Yeah," Kankuro replied, playacting regret. "Without them…" Kankuro's beady eyes observed Sasuke's reddening cheeks, "I don't think the pain here and here-" he pointed to his chest and abdomen, "-would have ever went away. She has a therapeutic touch, y'know? When I felt her hands going all over my body…"

Naruto knew for a fact that Kankuro couldn't have remembered how Sakura's hands felt as they healed him back then, as he was only semi-conscious at the time, but he greatly enjoyed Sasuke being picked on, for once. _Damn, these guys are experts._ He, along with Lee and even Shikamaru, watched the exchange with growing interest, waiting for Sasuke to explode.

Said Uchiha's cheeks and eyes blazed, and all his efforts to reply coldly were wasted when he stammered, "S-shut up talking."

"I like that Sakura girl," Gaara said indifferently, oblivious to the growing tension between his siblings and Sasuke. "She makes every visit pleasurable."

Everyone was grinning now, save for Sasuke, who was seething with rage. He stepped up to Gaara and made to grab his collar, but Temari interjected loudly, "Oh, my, Sasuke-san, you're not _jealous_, are you?"

Sasuke froze in his tracks and spluttered. "What the hell are you talking about?! I'm not _jealous_. No way."

"Well, of course you're not," Kankuro said airily. "There's nothing wrong with a little healing touch, right? I mean, you've felt them before too, right? Those soft feminine hands must feel comfy. 'Specially around those… ah… _sensitive_ parts."

Sasuke's face spelled mortification. "I-I-It's… that's… agh, shaddup!"

It was painfully obvious to those present that Sasuke had male hormones, after all.

Watching Sasuke get teased unrelentingly by the two older nin released some of the tension in Naruto as he laughed with everyone else. Sasuke would have gone berserk had Hinata not arrived. "Hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted as Temari waved goodbye, grinning wolfishly at Sasuke as Shikamaru led them to their seats. "How're you?"

Hinata blushed deeply, as was her custom. "I w-was just calling Lee-san," she said shyly. "W-We're supposed to be on standby."

"Aw, so you didn't come here to wish me luck?" Naruto asked, feigning disappointment.

Hinata colored furiously. "I-I-I-I-" was all she could muster, and could have fainted had Lee not rescued her.

"Naruto-kun, you mustn't put a young lady such as Hinata-san in an uncomfortable position!" he scolded mildly.

Naruto rubbed his nape, looking both sorry and sheepish. "Eh, I was just kidding, Hinata-chan, really!" he said apologetically.

Lee pulled Hinata off, bidding him farewell for that time. Naruto grimaced. He really didn't know what to do around Hinata. _Does it really take a long time for her to warm up to me? Is there something wrong?_ He sniffed his underarms. _I don't stink_ that _much, do I?_

* * *

Through the years she'd been an elite ninja, Tsunade had developed a keen instinct. But contrary to what people might think, it wasn't always a good thing to have your instinct right all the time. When the situation was as tense as it was that moment, it only served as something to worsen the tension. 

Out of the corner of her amber brown optics, she had been watching a masked daimyo and a jounin instructor with a Grass hitai-ate conversing quietly. She wouldn't be deserving of the title Hokage if she didn't know who those two were despite their Henge, however.

_That Orochimaru… and his lackey Kabuto. Not being too cautious, are they?_ she thought, gritting her teeth grimly. _I suppose he underestimates me still – even after the beating I gave him last time, that bastard. I can't say he's idiotic though. We both know the score, and I say that while I have more points, he clearly has the upper hand in this round._ She glanced at Sasuke, who was now arguing with Naruto about something mundane. _We both know, even after more than a month, the Uchiha's mental state is still delicate. Sakura and Naruto may be holding him down for the time being, but I've known Orochimaru too long to underestimate his ability to persuade._

Tsunade's green coat fluttered behind her as she approached Orochimaru and his disguised white-haired subordinate. The daimyo from other villages and their attendants, however, were filling the halls of the place already, while the genin stood ready to be oriented, so Tsunade found herself weaving through the crowd, feeling increasingly irritated at the people blocking her way, occasionally greeting her as Hokage-sama. _Damn these stuck-up daimyo,_ she thought venomously when another stopped her so he would be noticed and greeted accordingly.

She could almost reach him… if she just hurried…

"Tsunade-hime!" a daimyo said, grasping her hand and raising it to his lips for a kiss. "You look lovely as usual-"

_Crap!_

"Leggo, kiss-ass!" she snarled, jerking her hand away from the shocked daimyo and rushing after Orochimaru.

Tsunade groaned. He was gone.

It was only when the frustrated woman looked up that she saw his dark cloak whip around a corner. She made to follow him, but a hand clamped on her shoulder. "_What_?" she hissed.

Shizune looked back at her, startled. "Just that the matches are scheduled to start soon, Tsunade-sama," she said. "You're supposed to orient the genin."

Tsunade sighed heavily. It wouldn't be good to disappear from the matches. She didn't want to do it, but she had no choice. "Inform Rock Lee, Hyuuga Hinata, and Haruno Sakura to scout the Tower later, as soon as the other investigative team comes back with a report. Something dangerous is afoot."

* * *

Naruto shifted his foot from one position to another, his face in its "thoughtful" mode. To be honest, he was getting restless again, but there was no one with whom he could goof off with. Koun seemed too nervous to say a word, while Sasuke looked deep in thought. Lee, Hinata, and Sakura were all busy doing last minute preparations, and Gaara had gone to his seat up on the viewing deck with his siblings. The Konohamaru Corps looked just as constipated as Koun, while Tsunade was being fitted with a microphone. 

He could see Ebisu giving Konohamaru and his teammates last minute instructions, and the blond suddenly wondered where Kakashi-sensei was. _He should've been here right about-_

"Yo."

_-now._

"Kakashi-sensei!" Koun greeted, falling into a respectful bow.

Naruto wasn't as respectful. "You're late, Kakashi-sensei!" he yelled joyfully, pointing at the masked jounin.

"Well I was saving this monkey from drowning in the river-"

"LIAR!" Sakura yelled happily from the other side of the hall. Kakashi laughed sheepishly. Naruto grinned as he and Sasuke exchanged looks.

"What do you want, Kakashi?" the ebony-haired one asked. "The matches are starting soon – you might as well just sit back and watch."

"And that's what I'll do," Kakashi agreed, nodding. "But first… a bit of advice – whatever happened in the forest, I'll hear about later," he added when Naruto was about to open his mouth. "I want you three to put that out of your mind as you fight. Fight as if being a Chuunin matters to you the most."

"But it is!" Naruto protested. "We promised Sakura-chan!"

"That's good, Naruto," Kakashi said, smiling. "Keep lying to yourself like that, and you're likely to win."

Naruto gaped at Kakashi, who turned and walked off. Sasuke merely shook his head. _Kakashi_ _knows us too well. He understands Naruto's want to stay by Sakura better than the idiot himself. If Sakura remained a genin, Naruto would've remained a genin too._ He sighed and beckoned Naruto and Koun to follow him where the other genin were lining up. _I'll probably have to lie to myself about that, as well._

* * *

"We're going live, in three, two, one…" 

Those words had been spoken about twenty minutes ago, and Tsunade's briefing, much like the Sandaime's had been three years back, had just been over. The screen that randomly shuffled names for the matches was now doing its job, and everyone was watching it.

_First Match: Ayashi Koun vs Bushu Chikyu._

Koun gulped, and from the other side of the room, Chikyu sighed and fanned her long hair out. "How boring," she told her teammates. "I thought I would at least get to fight Sasuke-sama, or even Orange Boy."

"Will the other examinees please leave the battle grounds," Genma called.

Naruto gave Koun one last reassuring pat on the back, and Sasuke looked straight at Koun's worry-filled eyes. "Don't screw it up," the Uchiha said simply.

The two of them jumped up to the viewing deck, and Koun was left alone with Chikyu and Genma. "First match, begin," Genma said.

The two surveyed each other for a few moments. "Are you sure you can handle this?" Chikyu asked Koun mockingly, while they both stood ready to attack.

"You should be the one worried," the Konoha genin said roughly, not moving from his stance. He grimaced inwardly. _Though I say that, I'm not too confident about this… She's the best of the Sound group, after all._ He knew he wasn't that good – and what was more, he knew that his nerves could very well give way for his weakness of having such awful timing.

He wasn't skillful enough to wait for Chikyu to make the first move, so he decided to just get it over with and threw a senbon tainted with paralysis poison towards the kunoichi. As expected, Chikyu dodged to the left, pivoting on her foot quickly then rushing towards Koun. Her hand came forward towards his face, and Koun remembered her jutsu as Sasuke had reported – it could change his internal pressure and make his organs implode.

He knocked her hand away before she could reach a part of his skin and slid down to sweep her off her stand. She tripped but managed to flip upright away from Koun. Deciding to keep attacking until he could find an opening, Koun threw a kunai at her, but Chikyu merely spun out of the way. As she spun, she used the momentum to throw a batch of her own kunai at Koun, which forced him to dodge to the left.

As Koun faltered to the left, Chikyu acted quickly and threw a bunch of shuriken at him, which caught him by his clothes and pinned him to the ground. In the microsecond that he used to get off the floor, she had already had him pinned him to the ground with her hands on his arms. As she began her jutsu, he focused chakra on his left foot and kicked her hard upward to get her off him.

Chikyu coughed blood as she soared in an arc, but she righted herself and landed on her feet. She skidded to a halt and assessed her next move; Koun, meanwhile, was standing up, but an ugly purplish bruise was forming on his arm, a sign of internal bleeding.

"It's good that Koun is holding out somehow," Sakura mentioned as she stood between Lee and Sasuke.

"I get the feeling he's beginning to tire out, however," Gai's favorite student commented concernedly.

"He has stamina comparable to Sakura's… when she was a genin," Sasuke said dryly. Sakura flared up and crushed his foot with her boot's heel.

Koun threw another poison-stained kunai, but Chikyu ducked under it and rushed at him, dodging the kunai and senbon that he aimed at her. "Are you sure you're already genin level?" she sneered as she dodged easily. "Because you sure aren't aiming right!"

_I wonder what Koun has planned,_ Kakashi thought mildly as he noticed where the kunai and senbon landed. _We'll just have to see, won't we._

Chikyu slipped shuriken in between her fingers and hurled them one batch after another. This sudden barrage threw Koun off guard, and he toppled backward. Chikyu dashed forward and slammed her hand to Koun's face.

The spectators gasped like a single entity. Chikyu's teammates nodded knowingly, seeming to think that she had almost won. Hinata's Byakuugan detected a surge of chakra coming from Chikyu's hand, and Temari gripped her fan in grim anticipation. Would the younger nin get away?

Naruto exhaled as Koun gathered his wits quickly and stabbed Chikyu's arm, though he didn't have time to put poison on the kunai. She let go, hissing in pain, and he kicked her in the stomach with a chakra-powered foot again, sending her flying from him and skidding to a halt a few meters from him.

Chikyu staggered to stand up, and looked at Koun's bloody face. She'd managed to impact the surface of his face, and regretted she couldn't have gone deeper. "You can't keep playing defens- huh?"

She looked around, and noticed that the kunai and senbon had formed some kind of force field around her. Koun smirked and held the ground with his palm, sending a chakra path surging into the string he had attached to the weapons.

_He formed a force field around her with the weapons and a metal string,_ Kakashi thought, watching Chikyu's confused and frustrated face contort. _The weapon-throwing wasn't random at all, as I expected._ True to what the silver-haired man theorized, Koun sent his chakra through the metal string and it formed a network of fine threads of chakra around Chikyu, some attaching to her body. He then poured a paralysis potion into the chakra thread, and sent it onto Chikyu's circulatory system.

But after a few moments, the young nin staggered backward, and Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "He's probably consumed so much chakra already with that attack," he said to Hinata, who was beside him. "It doesn't help he's lost a lot of blood, either."

The chakra thread broke and both nin fell over on the floor, both breathing heavily. "Koun! Get up!" Naruto yelled encouragingly. "You can do it!"

_If neither of them gets up in the ten second count,_ Genma concluded, _I'll consider this a tie and forfeit both of them._ He began counting down.

At the fourth count, Koun managed to stagger up, wiping the blood that had formed on his face. Genma opened his mouth to declare him the winner.

However, before he could do it, Chikyu jumped up. _The poison wasn't able to knock her out completely!_ Sakura realized. _The dose must've not been enough for her to stay down completely. It's now a matter of who recovers first._

Koun slipped into defensive stance, clearly exhausted. But Chikyu had summoned the last of her muscle power and ran to Koun even in her numbness. The brunet made to dodge, but Chikyu did a quick move and pushed her palm against his chest. Naruto grit his teeth and Sakura gasped when Koun coughed blood. Slowly, he fell to the ground.

A few moments of deliberation later, Genma decided, "Bushu Chikyu wins this round."

Chikyu's golden eyes sought Sasuke's, and she gave him a small smirk, which he gave back with a cold glare. _I'll be waiting to fight you, Sasuke-sama._

Sakura immediately tended to Koun's internal bleeding. "Hey, Sakura-san," he gasped out, still half-conscious.

"Koun, please keep quiet and don't strain yourself," Sakura said sternly, though her eyes were clouded with concern.

"Thank you."

Sakura stopped and gazed at Koun's tired but smiling face. "For what?"

"For… the luck, I guess…"

Sakura smiled and finished healing his deadliest wounds. Koun fell asleep, and she signaled the other medics to carry him out in a stretcher along with Chikyu, now being detoxified. _No, Koun, I didn't give you luck. You just turned your weakness into your strength._

* * *

The machine began shuffling names again, and everyone anticipated the outcome of the names. The entire world (or the part of it that was either in the hall or watching from their TV sets) seemed to hold its breath. 

Ino looked up from her flower arrangement, while Chouji nibbled on his barbeque. "Mah!" the flower femme sighed loudly. "Even if I haven't got any missions for the next couple days, I still feel so tense about this Chuunin Exam business!" She rubbed her forehead. "It isn't good for my skin, honestly."

"Look!" Chouji said suddenly, pointing at the shop's television set. "The next match is between Sasuke and that Sound nin named Sainan!"

Ino dropped her stem clippers on the counter and turned up the volume. "My goodness," she breathed, biting her cherry lips. "What kind of crazy god had the sense of humor to pull off something like this?" She watched the TV with Chouji, gazing as Genma called the two competitors down to the battle stage. "Hopefully nothing goes wrong."

"With Sasuke, something is _bound_ to go wrong," Chouji sighed.

Back at the Tower, Sasuke prepared to go down to the battle stage, where Sainan stood waiting. "You had better come back in one piece, Sasuke," Naruto warned. "We still have a score to settle, remember?"

"Hn." Sasuke merely nodded lightly at him, and they understood each other. He turned to go down the stairs, but he looked back to see Sakura running after him. He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Sasuke-kun…" she murmured, her lime optics looking distressed. He waited for her to get her act together, and watched as she let out a shaky sigh. Her lips crinkled up to a worried smile. "Good luck."

The Uchiha's eyes widened when Sakura tiptoed to reach up to him and kiss his cheek. Her soft lips lingered on his reddening face for a moment, and to his horrified embarrassment, some of the other Chuunin wolf-whistled.

She let go of him, pink on the cheeks herself. "Go," she said softly, giving him a soft push towards the stairs. Still a bit dazed, he made his way towards Sainan, who had a big smirk on his wide face.

As Genma deliberated them both, Sasuke's gaze flickered again to where Sakura and Naruto were standing. He sighed to himself. _No matter what Kakashi says, this fight is still for them, not for the ranking I'm going to receive._

Genma gave the start signal, and Sasuke readied himself, not getting into any stance at all, to confuse Sainan as to whether he would be playing it offensive or defensive. "I still say I can blow you away with one breath," the bulky nin said cockily.

"Let's see you try," Sasuke said coolly.

"You're better off with _him_," Sainan said, sliding into an offensive position. "You ought to know _he_ can give you more power."

Sasuke glared at him, but said nothing. Tsunade, who sat beside Gaara, exchanged glances with the young Kazekage, and they knew what the other was thinking – Orochimaru was definitely more involved than most people would think he was.

In the other part of the viewing deck, Kakashi shifted his weight uncomfortably, watching Sasuke's deadpan reaction, but knowing the storm that was brewing in the boy's obsidian orbs. "What the hell is that Sainan guy talking about, anyway?" Naruto said loudly. "Sasuke's not stupid like that!"

_I wish I had your faith in people, Naruto,_ Sakura said to herself. "Sasuke-kun's resolve to stay is probably still weak," she murmured. "He can still be coerced to join this or that side. Humans are just weak that way."

"Sakura-chan, I'm surprised at you!" Naruto scolded, his blue eyes ablaze determinedly. "Who better to believe in the strength of Sasuke-teme's resolve than the both of us?"

Sakura gaped at Naruto, but after a while her expression softened. "You're right, Naruto. Who better indeed?" She smiled serenely as Sasuke concentrated on his battle. _Even with this ominous feeling inside me, I can't help but believe Naruto's words._

Sainan began the first series of attacks, creating an explosion just directly in front of Sasuke, but he had rolled away from the impact. He quickly did the hand seals for Goukyakku no Jutsu and blew it towards Sainan, whose clothes got singed.

The big Sound nin smirked again. "Is that really the best you can do, Uchiha Sasuke?" he leered. "You're no better than the Leaf bugs that have been dragging you down like dead weight!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed to slits, but still said nothing. _He's not about to call me someone who drags dead weight around,_ he thought irritably. He jumped from his position and threw kunai with metal strings attached to Sainan, and followed it up with another round of fireballs.

Sainan broke the contact of the metal strings within his radius with a kunai so that the fire never reached anything attached to his body. He pushed at the air again, towards Sasuke's position, and more bombs erupted in mid-air, the impact of which threw Sasuke off-course.

"Why isn't Sasuke doing anything?" Naruto complained. "He's been doing nothing but throw fire around!"

"Keep quiet!" Sakura said crossly. "Can't concentrate!"

Sainan, who was now eight meters across from Sasuke, focused chakra onto his legs and ran towards the Uchiha, his hands pumping in and out to form bombs in midair. Sasuke blew another gust of fire to eat up the oxygen Sainan needed for the explosion.

The two nins clashed in the middle of the room, both with a kunai in each hand, caught in a deadlock. The hall was filled with smoke, and no one could make out anything except two shadows.

"What're you, too chicken to come back?" Sainan smirked, panting. Sasuke gave him another glare and pulled one kunai back, leaving only one hand in the deadlock. In a fraction of a second, he swiped the kunai across Sainan's arm that was still in the deadlock, and crouched down to sweep the big nin off his feet. Luckily for Sainan, he still managed to stand upright after falling.

"You're persistent," Sasuke said expressionlessly as he readied himself for another attack. "For Orochimaru's puppet, that is."

"I'm no puppet!" Sainan growled, and haphazardly pushed his chakra into the air, creating bombs all around Sasuke, who only smirked and blew another batch of flames, nullifying the attack.

"You're the one who'll end up being Orochimaru-sama's body, with no will of your own!" Sainan said as he tried to hit Sasuke with erratic movements from his giant arms. "You won't get stronger here – the only way you'll get stronger is to be with Orochimaru-sama!"

"Would you shut up?" Sasuke muttered in an annoyed manner. "I'm the one who decides where to get stronger!"

"But have you grown stronger, Uchiha Sasuke?" Sainan asked mockingly as he traded more blows with the Uchiha. "Or have you been idle all this time?"

This caught Sasuke off-guard, and Sainan began having the upper hand. The bigger one began swiping his arms at Sasuke, creating bombs in the air as he passed. The Uchiha's ears were soon ringing with the explosions, and he found that he was having a hard time concentrating.

_I haven't been idle, have I? Of course not!_

_Right?_

Sasuke, in frustration, landed a series of strong blows at Sainan's muscular body, successfully rendering the body covered with bruises. "His movements are becoming random, aren't they?" Lee asked Sakura.

"I told him not to let anger get to him! He's not using his brain!" the pink-haired Chuunin growled. A singular flame of annoyance flared up in her eyes, and Inner Sakura seemed to take over for a moment. "Uchihaaaa!" she shouted to Sasuke. "If you lose in such an idiotic way, I'll kill yooouuuuu!"

"Oiiiiiiii! Sasukeeeee!" Naruto yelled even louder than Sakura. "Don't lose so stupidly, you jerk!"

Sasuke bristled with a different kind of irritation and kicked Sainan so hard the heavy nin flew across the hall. "You guys just shut it!" he barked angrily, a vein throbbing on his head. "I can't concentrate!"

As Sainan got up to begin another attack, Kakashi smiled in irony behind his mask. _On contrary – it was his teammates' voices brought him back to earth._

True enough, Sasuke's blows were becoming more planned and more effective, and Sainan was hard put at dodging and blocking his blows. "His form's looking different, I should say," Shikamaru, who stood near the Sand emissaries, commented to Temari, who nodded.

"It's like he gained focus again," Kankuro observed.

Sainan aimed his hand at Sasuke's face, and before the latter could dodge, the former created a bomb in the air so that Sasuke had no choice but to block with his arms. The force of the explosion sent him flying off the floor, but he righted himself. However, on the moment he landed, Sainan made another bomb in the airspace between his palm and the floor. The impact of this explosion threw Sasuke back even further and made him jump into the air.

As he soared in the air at mid-jump, Sainan opened his palm in Sasuke's direction and made the air explode again, leaving the surroundings dusty. "Did I get him?" Sainan murmured to himself.

_Sasuke-kun!_ Sakura yelled in her mind.

_Sasuke-teme!_ Naruto thought, gritting his teeth.

In the dusty air, three snakes shot through, wrapping themselves around Sainan's arms. The air cleared to reveal Sasuke having summoned snakes from his sleeves, which were now squeezing Sainan out of breath. Sasuke made a whipping movement with his arm, and Sainan bounced into the air and crashed on the floor.

Sasuke, satisfied that Sainan wouldn't be getting up, walked to the huge nin's body lying prostate on the ground as Genma began the countdown. As he gazed down on the body coldly, Sainan gasped out, "Why won't you go back to Orochimaru-sama and claim the power he offers?"

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "And be treated like the lackey you are?" he snorted. "_Please_. I'd rather stay here and play leader to my teammates."

"And the winner of this round," Genma was saying, "Uchiha Sasuke!"

"He did it!" Hinata exclaimed softly as Naruto and Sakura erupted into happy cheers.

Tsunade smiled slightly and nodded approvingly. Gaara, who was beside her, let his gaze roam in the hallway, now alive with whispers. "That jutsu…" he caught one of the daimyo muttering. "Makes me wonder if he can be trusted."

_Does it really matter to Uchiha Sasuke?_ Gaara wondered, his green eyes resting on Sasuke's teammates, who were now doing a victory dance.

Sakura stopped cheering abruptly as a shiver ran up her spine. "What…"

Her eyes roamed the hall, and caught a glint of malevolent yellow eyes disappearing around a corner. She knew whose eyes they belonged to. "Hinata-chan, Lee-san, come on," she said urgently, losing all the happiness in her voice. "It's our turn."

As Hinata and Lee made to follow her, Naruto stopped her. "Where're you going, Sakura-chan?" he asked. "Sasuke's about to come up here!"

"This is… more important," Sakura said grimly, and took off without another word, disappearing into the crowd with Hinata and Lee.

As Sasuke came into view, Naruto frowned thoughtfully. _What could be more important to Sakura-chan than greeting Sasuke?_

* * *

"Seems he's as sharp as ever," the "Grass" jounin commented to the cloaked daimyo. 

"Indeed he is," the latter agreed. "He hasn't unlearned anything I've taught him. But his will is still weak – anyone can bend it to theirs. Even if your genin failed to wear his will down, I don't doubt that I'll be able to."

Orochimaru slipped off his dark cloak, grinning sadistically at his white-haired subordinate, Kabuto, who had taken off his Henge.

"Because like I said, I've got his team dancing into my plans."

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Naruto:** When the hell am I going to get some action? I want to kick ass _right now_, dammit! Why does Sasuke have to get the fun first all the time!?

And just where has Sakura-chan disappeared off to? She won't be able to watch me kick butt, then! And Hinata-chan too! Why is it that Sasuke can get all the girls to watch him, and when it comes to me, they disappear like they're on a mission or something. Is Neji's Destiny thing playing with me or something!? Guah!

Next chapter… _A Fox's Anger – Backroom Trouble_.

No way am I going to let Konohamaru look better than me!

* * *

**AN:** Well, how was that? As usual, I slaved over those action scenes. You have no idea how hard it is to make them. 

Everyone guessed right – Sakura appeared from the scroll. Of course you guys had to expect that. I knew you would. I particularly enjoyed writing the parts before the matches though, especially with Temari and Kankuro teasing Sasuke. I enjoyed the last of the filler episodes of the anime because of them as well. Guah! Naruto Shippuden's coming out this week! Sooooo excited…

I hope you liked the bit of romance I put in here... SasuSaku, and NaruHina if you squint.

Anyway, I enjoyed making this chapter, so you had better enjoyed reading it as well! Gotta go… cheers! You know what to do with that mouse and the "Go" button!


	17. A Fox’s Anger – Backroom Trouble

**AN:** Here's Chapter 17, everyone! Since our final exams are over (WAH! Tenchan's going to college!) I have more time to focus on other things… like my epic here. Whee!

I had a harder time than usual with this, seeing as I've had to create several different fight scenes. Also, I realized a mistake I made in the earlier chapter when a reviewer pointed it out to me – Sasuke could've won the match easily if he had used the Sharingan. But I wanted the match to be a little prolonged, so I'm going to try and fix the mistake in this chapter. It's going to sound flimsy now that I've told you about the mistake.

And I'm making up for another mistake as well. It seems I've forgotten that Naruto has new skills. Well, this is exactly the chapter that I'll make up for Naruto seeming weak in the previous chapters by giving some new moves.

As for the reviews, I see lots of comments about the Sand sibs teasing Sasuke. Like I said, I had a lot of fun writing about that one. And about the fight scenes, well, I'm always worried that you guys don't know what I'm talking about, so I try to make it as clear as possible. Just tell me if they're hard to understand, though. But sometimes I can't produce quality fight scenes mostly because I don't really put much thought on the action scenes I've ever watched. Whatever I put here depend so much on the jutsus I know exist and my own imagination.

**Gracias to: 4everDestined, katsuhito sage, Dragon Man 180, SulliMike23, CrazyGirlofManyNames, InuzukaNin, Kaze-Yume No Tenshi, kttykiwi, Silver Warrior, starwishes, Kunoichi142, Niebezpiczny, Ksiezyc, 2supersmart, ShinkuNoTenshi (**naw, I was talking of a squint of NaruHina**), Sakura-Moonlight, Kiwako, Hinata-hime (**I found your once-in-a-blue-moon long review comprehensive. XD**), angrie, IX-ForgottenAngel-XI, Lady Soysauce Junior, hopping-bunny, InuObsessed o.o, rebel-girl, candycoatedkayla (**that line was, well, really quite unplanned. I even thought it was dumb, but...**), YoungSasuke, baby's breath, Shioan, LadyOfWolves, darklace15, Kawaii IceCream, Tanashibara-san (**there'll be some sure SasuSaku fluff in Chapter 18**), gaarafaves,izumi-chan, Only Secret, Nanu-chan, NazaliaSan, langslock (**yes, I know it's not as well worked as the other chapters. I'll try to do better with this one**), CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, seguha, icygirl2, SarcasticallyTroublesomeGirl (**Yes, it's still ShikaIno**), animemistress419, Great Saiyaman, Dust-in, Son Kenshin, Amity-Star, Asha3, DualX, Unkown, 7 (**I... tried to correct that mistake. Sorry 'bout that**), Chibi Ninjaa xo.cherry (**I LOVE that idea. I'm definitely using it, but not in this chapter. I have other plans fo Naruto**), jenl821, MaXiMuM, ghikiJ, MedicalKunochi (**teme means jerk or bastard. It's basically an insult**), cookiesxnxcream, FlamedraSeer7213, Dreamseeker, Igor Lollipop, K.C., Green Animelover, LachwenII, Baika-chan**... and the rest of the party. Maybe I'll use the Review Reply option for the reviewers of this chapter so that I can reply to each of the signed ones...

* * *

**Chapter 17: A Fox's Anger – Backroom Trouble**

* * *

Sasuke's brow furrowed when he noticed Sakura wasn't beside Naruto as the blond came sprinting up to him. "You almost lost _so _badly, Sasuke!" he crowed, grinning and grabbing Sasuke into a headlock. The Uchiha tetchily wriggled out of the grab. 

"What I find strange," Kakashi said curiously, "is that you took time in beating the other guy, when normally you'd just go Sharingan and it'd all be over."

"I need to train in fighting without depending on Sharingan all the time," Sasuke said indifferently. "That's the first thing you told me when we were training right after I got back."

"Just admit you forgot to do that because you were absorbed with that guy's rant!" Naruto said, pointing an accusatory finger. "You were, I repeat, going to lose soooo badly!"

"I didn't forget, okay?!" Sasuke snarled, his hackles rising. "How the hell would I forget my own bloodline?!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, who was now glaring at another direction. He had a nagging feeling Sasuke was lying – they both knew he was only human. Sasuke just didn't want to admit anything of the sort. But Naruto had proven countless times how vulnerable Sasuke really was under that tough exterior – their many spars and battles attested to that.

_Sasuke just really doesn't have the nerve to impose on me and Sakura-chan his problems and insecurities. The teme is just not like that._ Naruto frowned and looked up at the shuffle of names instead. _I wish he'd tell us what's bothering him some time._

Sasuke looked back at him with a new concern. "Where's Sakura?"

Naruto blinked at the Uchiha's sudden show of interest. "I dunno. Chuunin business? 'Coz she took off with Fuzzy Brows and Hinata-chan." He tilted his head. "Why?"

Sasuke's eyes darted away. "It's nothing," he muttered. "I wanted to… get her opinion on my match."

Naruto grinned. "And if I told you she thought you sucked?"

Sasuke gave him the iciest look he could muster while trying not to look embarrassed. "I'd tell you I'm not as idiotic as you to believe that she'd ever really say such a thing."

_Seriously though_, Sasuke thought as the shuffler blinked to a stop. _What's so important that she'd ditch both me and Naruto?_

"Oh look," Kakashi said interestedly, looking up from his book. "It's your successor's match, Naruto."

"_Wha-at_!?" Naruto exclaimed, quickly glancing at Konohamaru, who was staring openmouthed at the monitor. "Him versus… some guy named Kura Fuan?"

He glanced down the deck to see the leader of the Grass nin who had attacked the Konohamaru Corps, the one with his long black hiar in a ponytail, crossing the hall towards Genma. Ebisu and Moegi seemed to be trying to put some heart into the blank-faced Konohamaru. "You managed to beat him before, Konohamaru-kun!" Moegi encouraged, pulling on his sleeve. "You can do it again!"

"You're the Sandaime Hokage's grandson!" Ebisu added. "I believe you have his genes!"

"GEEZ!" Konohamaru yelled, finally snapping out of his daze. "Put some pressure on it, why dontcha?!" He glanced at the bored looking Fuan and gulped, descending the stairs as slowly as possible.

Fuan picked his ear with his pinky idly. "Is this guy coming down or what?" he drawled. "Because if he isn't-"

Konohamaru took off into a run and skidded to a halt in front of Genma. "I'm here," he said. "Let's get it going."

_Though I'd like for nothing else than to wake up from this nightmare. What the hell was I thinking, entering this Exam as a rookie? I'm gonna get creamed!_

From the corner of his eye, he caught frantic movement coming from the viewing deck. "Hey Konohamaruuuuuu!" Naruto yelled, waving his hands. "Beat the crap outta that guy!"

The Sandaime's heir's eyes widened as Naruto cheered him on along with Moegi and Udon, jumping up and down enthusiastically and waving his arms like a demented cheerleader. To his surprise, even Sasuke was waiting for something interesting to happen. Konohamaru grinned and gave everyone a thumbs-up. It was exactly the picker-upper that he needed to calm down.

A few miles from this Tower, someone squealed, "Kyaaaa! Konohamaru-kun is soooo cute!"

Ino shoved off two simpering girls who were crowding the flower shop's TV set at the sight of Konohamaru. "What the hell is the whole street doing here in our shop watching?" Ino asked Chouji, increasingly getting annoyed. "This isn't a moviehouse, dammit!"

"When everyone heard Chouji say Sasuke's match was on, Ino-chan," Tenten replied, materializing from under Chouji's elbow, intent on watching the battle unfold, "everyone _had_ to watch! Did you _see_ Sakura-chan kiss Sasuke? It was way in the corner of the screen, but-"

"Sasuke-kun's match is over!" Ino snapped. "Get out of here! The flowers can't breathe!"

"No way am I going," a random stranger said. "I'm finishing Konohamaru-kun's match!" The rest of the people in the shop yelled their affirmation like a single entity. Tenten laughed as Ino slumped over, clearly defeated.

"Well then," Genma was saying, "begin."

Fuan didn't wait for Konohamaru – instead, he jumped far from Konohamaru's reach and created two Iwa Bunshin to fight in his place. The bunshin attacked simultaneously from either side of the younger nin, but Konohamaru ducked quickly and the bunshins' fists hit the other and both dissipated. Without wasting time, Konohamaru equipped himself with a kunai in each hand as he ran toward Fuan.

The two genin locked kunai, Konohamaru holding two against Fuan's single kunai. Konohamaru wrenched one kunai from the deadlock and swiped it at Fuan, who jumped away. The Grass nin instantly formed one Iwa Bunshin, which jumped towards Konohamaru and gave him a barrage of punches before he could react. The bunshin gave one last blow, and Konohamaru flew across the hall.

_This Fuan boy can't do taijutsu on his own,_ Kakashi realized. _He has to use bunshin with a much harder body structure than his own to actually get good hits on the enemy. But his control on the bunshin is perfect, though it does keep him one-track-minded._ The jounin watched Konohamaru struggle to get up. _So… what're you going to do, Konohamaru?_

A malicious smile crept up Fuan's lips. "So this is how the Sandaime Hokage's grandson is when he's not with his little friends." He snorted in mocking laughter. "How pathetic."

"_What_?" Konohamaru hissed, narrowing his eyes to slits.

"I mean, really," Fuan continued, getting ready for any attack. "You haven't even damaged me, and you've taken so many blows already. Just what does that tell us?" He grinned at Konohamaru. "That you just didn't get your grandfather's genes? Or… the Sandaime Hokage has no great genes of which to speak of. Is that it?"

"What're you saying?" Konohamaru growled in his throat, though it was obvious to him and everyone else in the room what exactly Fuan meant.

"That the "great" Professor isn't that great at all. That "Hokage" is nothing more than an empty title."

The hall burst into murmurs. Sasuke looked around for everyone's reaction, just as his own irritation prickled underneath his skin. Tsunade's glare was so deep in her face that its pretty features looked as though they might disappear. Naruto gripped the railing of the viewing deck tight enough for his fingers to embed into the metal. But, as Sasuke noticed, Konohamaru looked the angriest of all.

"Take that back!" he yelled, but Fuan only guffawed.

"You sound like such a kid!" he said, forming another seal and creating a couple of bunshin to rush at Konohamaru. The young Konoha nin wildly punched the bunshin, his sheer anger in his attacks breaking through them.

Fuan created two more bunshin, but Konohamaru hit one with a series of powerful yet erratic punches, and threw an explosive tag at the other. Konohamaru rushed towards Fuan, but the Grass nin only created two bunshin to waylay Konohamaru as he moved to a farther position. "It's the same thing over and over again," Naruto said through gritted teeth. "Go, Konohamaru! Kick his ass!"

"That Fuan guy just played young Konohamaru," Temari commented, shaking her head. "Konohamaru got provoked, and Fuan's using Konohamaru's emotion to tire Konohamaru out, while he expends less energy in making those bunshin."

"Such emotion should've been suppressed," Gaara muttered. "It's not doing him any good."

Konohamaru put on a burst of speed, threw a couple of explosive tags at each of the bunshin, and made to throw a punch at Fuan. The ebony-haired Grass nin crossed his arms to block out Konohamaru's powerful attack.

But something made the rampaging genin stop. Before his fist could connect with any part of Fuan's body, his heart felt as though it was being squeezed. Fuan smirked as Konohamaru hesitated – it was exactly the opening he needed. Fuan raised his leg and kicked Konohamaru square on the stomach. Before Konohamaru could even draw breath, Fuan had already created more of the rock clones, which began alternately kicking and punching Sarutobi's grandchild.

"So he's finished exhausting the kid," Makkuro, one of his teammates, observed. "Now he's beating the heck out of him. What a dirty tactic."

An Iwa Bunshin finished the beating off with a final kick that sent Konohamaru's body tracing a parabola in the air to the ground. The brunet genin lay on the ground, trying to build up the strength to get up. Genma, reluctantly, began the countdown. "10, 9, 8…"

"You're just like your old geezer after all," Fuan hooted. "You're both incompetent. Must be why he died."

"6, 5-"

"Now that's just enough!" Naruto growled, jumping up, but Kakashi restrained him from jumping into the battle ground. Even Tsunade had gotten out of her seat, ready to give the cocky Grass nin what he deserved, but Shizune held fast to the Godaime.

"3, 2-"

The crowd again gasped as one – Konohamaru, miraculously, was getting up, beating the count. Genma waved his hand as a signal that the battle should continue. Fuan's arrogant smirk was replaced with a frown, while it was Konohamaru's turn to smirk. "You really have no idea what you're talking about," he said, catching his breath. "The Sandaime's a hero who died for our sake, and…" His eyes blazed with determination. "I'm his grandson!"

He drew a couple of kunai once more and ran towards Fuan, who quickly created another batch of rock clones. But the concentration on Konohamaru's eyes couldn't be mistaken – his focus was on Fuan and Fuan alone. Any clones that were made were quickly dissipated by a couple of choice moves and a lot of explosive tags.

"Konohamaru-kun!" Udon and Moegi cheered. "You can do it! Go for it!"

Finally, his fist was within range of Fuan's face, and Konohamaru slammed it right through. Fuan was thrown backward, his nose looking broken. He wiped the blood off with his thumb. "Ooh, you're going to pay for that, kid."

"Oh really?" Konohamaru asked mockingly. The two exchanged more blows, and soon enough, Fuan was covered in as much bruises as Konohamaru.

He made to hit Fuan again – however, his strength was giving way. He threw a punch at Fuan, who dodged it quickly. After a seemingly long moment, Konohamaru tripped on his own feet in exhaustion, and promptly fell unconscious on the floor.

Moegi and Udon gasped, and in the flower shop, Ino got crushed by the bodies leaning forward to look at the TV screen, to make sure if Konohamaru had really hit the floor. "Konohamaru!" Naruto yelled, leaning towards the railing.

"It's over," Sasuke muttered, sighing. "He's lost."

"You have to admit, though," Kakashi said lightly as medics moved to carry Konohamaru out of the hall, "he fought well. Especially for a rookie."

"Winner of this round," Genma announced, "Kura Fuan." He pointed to the Grass nin, who grinned cockily.

"Like I said. Hokage's a made-up title given to people who think they're the greatest when they're not."

"That's it-" Tsunade snarled, making to climb over the rail, but her voice got drowned out by a louder, more indignant voice.

"Anyone, and I mean _anyone_ who insults the Hokage name in front of Tsunade-baachan and Konohamaru is going to have to go through _me_ to say that freely! Say that again, and I'm kicking your ass back to Hidden Grass!"

Everyone, even the cameras directed by the cameraman, focused on Naruto, who had put his foot on the railing and was now pointing a challenging finger at Fuan. In the background, Kakashi was smiling absently, and Sasuke had hidden his face in his palm.

"Who are you?" Fuan sneered. "Some Hokage fanboy?"

"No, you jerk," Naruto yelled. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the next Hokage! Remember that name, arse – you'll be cowering in fear every time you hear it!"

The world was stunned into silence as Naruto made his declaration with a straight face and with fire in his eye. People who knew him only as the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki felt incredulity at the statement. Those who knew him to be a clumsy troublemaker struggled to hold in their grins.

But the people who knew he had fought for the village and won several times entertained the idea with only a bit of doubt. The people who had seen him fight doubted even less than that, and looked on with a newfound respect for the cerulean-eyed jinchuuriki.

As for Kakashi and Sasuke, they hardly doubted at all. _It's about time everyone realized what Naruto wants,_ Kakashi thought as Sasuke smirked.

Fuan let out a laugh. "You, Orange Boy? Become Hokage? Sure, why not? You're probably as incompetent as the rest of 'em anyway. And what kind of ninja wears orange?"

"All right, that's enough," Genma said briskly, taking Fuan by the collar. As the Grass nin protested against Genma's iron grip, the jounin said, "You're in the way of the next match. Move."

The crowd began to mutter once more as the name shuffler began to randomize again. "Controversial matches we're having, eh?" a daimyo whispered to another. His partner nodded.

"With Uchiha and the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, it's only to be expected."

"Ooh," Naruto seethed as he watched Fuan get treated by medics. "If I get matched up against that guy I'm going to beat him more badly than Konohamaru did. All that crap against old man Sandaime…"

"Hn," Sasuke muttered. "You better not lose your temper during that time."

"Don't worry," Naruto said. "I'm not you." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Just you wait – I'm going to get through all these battles. You had better be in one of them, teme."

"That's already a given," Sasuke replied coolly.

"Y'know, I just remembered," Naruto suddenly said, his eyebrows meeting. "Sakura-chan's not back yet, isn't she?"

Sasuke frowned thoughtfully, his heart skipping a beat. Truth be told, he was worried. After realizing the fact that Orochimaru could be lurking somewhere in the dark corners of the Tower, he certainly didn't want Sakura of all people to run into him. What if she did? What would he be able to do for her then?

_But Naruto's match could be next,_ Sasuke reasoned. _I want to watch that too. I don't want to miss it for anything._

Naruto caught Sasuke's eye, and it became obvious to the tanned nin that the Uchiha was in conflict of whether to stay and support a teammate or go check up on another one. Naruto shook his head. _Sasuke really doesn't know his priorities sometimes._

"Next match, Moegi vs. Gari Osore."

"Go check up on Sakura-chan," Naruto advised Sasuke as the trembling Moegi went to meet the hulk of the Grass genin. "She's much more important than me right now. Who knows what kind of danger she's running into."

Sasuke nodded curtly. This was one thing they could both agree on – Sakura's safety mattered more than anything that happened between them.

* * *

Sakura walked the dark halls of the Tower alone, searching for signs of Orochimaru and Kabuto. She, Lee, and Hinata had already split up to cover more area. She had already encountered several clues – there was freshly shed snakeskin in some areas, and Hinata had remarked through their radio connection that she found traces of the chakra that felt distinctively evil. There was no doubt in their minds that Orochimaru was in the Tower – it was now a matter of finding him. 

Sakura closed her eyes, put on her gloves for good measure, and let her other senses guide her feet. If she concentrated well enough, she could find the source of all the malicious chakra that Hinata had seen. The further she walked, the more she felt that chakra growing stronger and closer.

"Well, well. It's been a long time, Sakura-chan."

She knew that voice.

Her green optics fluttered open. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and in front of her, free of the Henge, was Kabuto. "You…" she hissed.

"Me," Kabuto said, nodding, his glasses glinting. "And of course…" He stepped back, to reveal a figure leaning against a pillar.

Sakura's heart jumped ominously. Memories of her first encounter with the Forest of Death, and her more recent memories of the Curse Seal came back to her. Long black hair parted in the middle to reveal the gray skin and glinting golden eyes of-

"Orochimaru…" she murmured. Instantly, her guard was heightened. She knew her mission was to find Orochimaru's whereabouts, but she hadn't thought of what would happen if he decided to come out into the open. She was in front of two very powerful shinobi, one just as powerful as her master herself, and she, Sakura, was very alone.

She had to tell her teammates, at least. "Hinata-chan, Lee-san," she muttered into her transmitter, regretting that they decided to split up, and keeping a defensive stance. "I found him, and I think they're about to engage."

"Sakura-chan, tell us your location," Hinata said, her voice barely betraying a quiver.

"I'm at-"

_Snap!_

Sakura's skin crawled when she realized Orochimaru had gotten behind her, and had cut the wire of the microphone of the transmitter. She could still hear Lee and Hinata trying to reach her. "Sakura-san? Sakura-san?" Lee was saying. "Are you all right? Please respond!"

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked as coldly as she could, even if she felt that her knees were shaking.

"Just checking up on Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said smoothly, and she froze when the Snake Sannin's fingers skimmed over on the skin where her neck and shoulder met, playing with her hair once in a while. "You _have_ been taking care of him, haven't you?"

"Leave, Orochimaru," Sakura said in her most threatening voice.

"I'm afraid I can't, Sakura-chan," Orochimaru replied softly. "I _have_ to make him come home to _me_, after all. He can't do that if he stays with you."

"He's not going to believe your twisted version of home," Sakura said through gritted teeth, "because he _is_ home."

"That may be true," Orochimaru conceded mockingly, still behind her and playing with her hair. "But then again, who says that he doesn't seek power still? From what I've heard, he's come very close to defeating his brother just recently, but failed."

"He knows he can get strong here," Sakura replied. "We can help him. You just want his body – your have no real intention of helping him against Itachi. Even if you did, you know very well that you yourself can do it once you take over Sasuke-kun. You only want to bring Itachi down because of your own self-interest!"

"Very good, Sakura-chan!" Orochimaru laughed. 'You actually figured out as much, haven't you? Of course, being the smart girl you are, you would understand that Sasuke-kun knows very much what he wants… unfortunately, he doesn't know how to get it. But realize, little blossom, that he'll be seeking it from _me_ once more. Count on that."

Sakura stared far ahead, her belief in Sasuke keeping her strong in the face of such danger. "He doesn't think that way anymore, and you know it. You know you've lost your hold on him."

"Have I really?" Orochimaru laughed softly in her ear again. "I, on the other hand, believe otherwise. He's coming back to me. You can even come, Sakura-chan, if you want to stay by him so badly. Your loyalty, I wonder… does it lie in Konoha, or only in Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura's thread of patience finally snapped. In a quick movement that could rival even Sasuke, she had ducked from under Orochimaru's grasp on her hair and swiped a leg under his stand. The Snake Sannin avoided the foot with ease. "It seems we have angered our little blossom, Kabuto."

Anger was an understatement. Sakura's eyes blazed with pure fury as she regarded Orochimaru. Her rage boiled within her, but she knew that would have to take her own advice to Naruto and Sasuke – she would have to channel her fury into absolute concentration on her enemy as neatly as possible. Lee and Hinata were still trying frantically to contact her, and she yanked the broken transmitter from her ear. She knew she was at a disadvantage – she knew as a medic nin that Kabuto would stay back and preserve his chakra to heal his master, while Orochimaru battled it out with her. She, however, would have to become both an attacking force besides being her own medic.

"They say you have inherited Tsunade-hime's strength, Sakura-chan," Orochimaru said, a smirk in his tone. "I wonder if it's true…"

"Why don't we find out!?" Sakura snarled, focusing her chakra on her legs and disappearing from her original place in a blink. Before Orochimaru could respond, she reappeared in front of him and aimed a chakra-filled punch at his chest. Orochimaru managed to dodge to the left in a split second, and in consequence, Sakura only managed to hit his right shoulder. Still, it was enough to send the Snake Sannin flying into a pillar and breaking it.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto exclaimed, and was instantly at his master's side. He scanned the injury as Sakura came advancing. "She's reduced your shoulder bone into splinters and even blew off some skin. This'll be hard to repair, but-"

Sakura swiped a killing blow against Kabuto, but Orochimaru had already acted quickly; soon enough, Kabuto was healing Orochimaru as fast as he could while Sakura was wrapped around with snakes that he had conjured from his left sleeve. The medic kunoichi managed to break out of the grasp of the snakes just as Kabuto was half-finished with the healing.

He and Orochimaru jumped out of the way just as Sakura aimed another power punch at them. The wall crumbled, and as Sakura tried to unstuck her fist from the wall, Orochimaru had already summoned another batch of snakes from his sleeve, more numerous than the last, and they were aiming their fangs at her from all possible sides.

She rolled out of the way as the snakes closed in. She tried to attack again, but from afar, Orochimaru had not stopped his relentless attack with his snakes and they were trying to reach her every chance they got, to either bind her or to sink their fangs into her flesh. She threw several kunai, severing some snake heads, but Orochimaru managed to replace those snakes with more.

It had turned into a lethal game of tag. Sakura was trying her best to dodge the snakes and run towards the nearest place where she could find help, but each time she tried to break away from Orochimaru's line of sight, a snake or three would come hissing at her face and she would have to dodge or duck, effectively keeping her away from any help.

It seemed she would have to face Orochimaru head on. As the snakes shot quickly from behind her, she pivoted and changed direction before Orochimaru could realize it. As the snakes continued to shoot into the other way, she spread chakra to her feet and readied her fist to hit Orochimaru. But then he smirked, and Sakura's eyes widened apprehensively. She knew then that she was outmatched.

A snake shot out of Orochimaru's other sleeve – Kabuto had already finished healing his shoulder. It wasn't enough to set the bone right, but it was enough for him to attack with that arm again. The snake, larger than all the previous ones, wrapped Sakura tightly, her arms prevented from moving.

As she gasped for air, Orochimaru leered at her. "Who's to say, after all, that Sasuke can't change loyalties easily? He's done it a lot, right, Sakura-_chan_?"

* * *

Back in the main hall, Udon's battle with Hebi, the third Sound nin, was over, and as the young nin was being treated of his welts and broken bones, the last match of the day had already begun. It was Naruto versus the female Grass nin, Makkuro. 

"You just wait!" he yelled, pointing at her. "This match will be over in fifteen minutes!"

Moegi, who only suffered from minor injuries from her own lost match, yelled from the deck, "You go, Naruto-niichan!"

"You can do it!" Udon called from where he was being healed.

Soon enough, the people who knew him as a skilled shinobi began shouting their encouragement at him. Even Temari yelled out her own encouragement: "If you lose this battle you're not going to catch up to Gaara!" Shikamaru shook his head, while Kankuro smirked. Gaara, however, had the light of approval in his eyes, and he nodded when he met Naruto's blue eyes. Kakashi gave Naruto a thumbs up, which he returned in kind.

Makkuro said nothing, only forming the necessary seals. Soon enough, Naruto was surrounded with grass trying to hold him into place. He hurriedly threw shuriken at the grass and freed himself from their hold.

The ebony-haired kunoichi had other tricks up her sleeve. As Naruto jumped away from the grass trying to tie him down, she flicked her wrist and twirled her fingers – the grass responded by growing longer and grasping onto his ankles while he was in mid-air. He couldn't dodge, but he conjured a Kage Bunshin that appeared behind him. The bunshin picked him up and threw him at Makkuro.

The bunshin dissipated as the grass attacked it, and while Makkuro was preoccupied, Naruto hurtled towards her with a kunai aloft in each hand. Her eyes widened, and she crisscrossed her fingers. The grass responded by forming a kind of weaved shield in between her and Naruto. The blond only tore the shield with one kunai and poised to attack with the other kunai.

Just as he aimed the kunai at Makkuro, the girl had flipped in the air and hit his wrist with the back of her foot, which made Naruto drop the kunai. As Naruto landed to a halt, Makkuro speedily went behind him and threw shuriken towards where his weapons pouch was attached to his pants. The weapons pouch detached itself from Naruto. Makkuro promptly picked it up and attached it to her own hip. Before Naruto could react, she rolled on the ground and detached his thigh holster from his thigh as well.

_Smart move,_ Kakashi thought. _She knows that her grass's weakness is the fact that Naruto can easily slice through them with weapons. So she made sure that Naruto had nothing sharp to slice her grass with._

"ARGH!" Naruto yelled, frustrated, as Makkuro retreated far from him to plan her next move. "That's unfair! You stole my weapons!"

"The rules say "anything goes" as long as no one gets killed," she said indifferently, shrugging. "Hokage Fanatic, you're going to be out of the running as Hokage if you keep this up."

"You just watch me," Naruto replied proudly. "The future Hokage's owning your ass on this one."

_What an idiot,_ Makkuro thought as she readied herself for another offense. _He believes in the Hokage title so much… but I suppose that's what draws all these people to admire him. It's probably his own kind of charisma._ A small smirk graced her lips – a rare occurrence. _I can't say I'm not impressed._

* * *

Sasuke was still circling the Tower for Sakura, and there was still no sign of her. _The Tower's big, after all, and there are no windows to see from the outside,_ he thought anxiously. He had already found Hinata and Lee, who told him that the last they heard from Sakura was that she was about to engage Orochimaru and Kabuto. This only furthered his worry – she didn't stand a chance especially if there were two of them. _Heck – she doesn't stand much of a chance even with just Orochimaru._ He gritted his teeth. _You had better be holding your own, Sakura, or…_ He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. 

He had taken Hinata with him so that she could use her Byakuugan to locate Sakura. Lee, on the other hand, had gone for help. "I'm detecting huge surges of chakra six floors above us," the Hyuuga heiress told Sasuke as they ran in search of stairs. "And… oh my."

"What?" Sasuke asked urgently.

"Sakura-chan's…" Hinata whimpered. She exhaled to steady her voice. "She's holding her own, but if we don't get there as fast as possible, she'll…"

Sasuke didn't need for Hinata to complete her statement and only increased his speed in climbing the stairs. It was crucial that they got there as fast as possible. They climbed the long staircase, Hinata informing Lee exactly where they were. As they got to the last flight of stairs, Sasuke stopped. "Listen, Hinata," he said immediately. "I'll go alone – you go find medics in case something happens."

Sasuke began climbing the stairs again, not even looking back when Hinata called, "Please be careful, Sasuke-san!"

Then it happened, just as he arrived at the top of the stairs and found Sakura trying to struggle out of the snake's iron grip around her body. He touched the base of his neck, where the Curse Seal was prickling. He knew this was the effect of being near Orochimaru again after being away for so long.

"So nice of you to join us, Sasuke-kun," the golden-eyed Sannin called as Sakura tried to breathe. Kabuto smirked from behind his master's back.

"Let go of her," Sasuke said dangerously. "I know she's not the one you want."

"She holds the will of the one I want," Orochimaru said, grinning manically. "If you come back with us to Sound, well… I might consider letting go of her." He retracted the snake holding Sakura closer to him, and the kunoichi's left eye twitched when Orochimaru's tongue elongated and slithered down her cheek. "She's a pretty young thing, after all."

The Curse Seal was throbbing, but Sasuke ignored it. He wasn't going to use it, not when Orochimaru could easily turn it against him. He couldn't use long range attacks as long as Sakura was in Orochimaru's hold, so he knew he would have to close in. Turning the Sharingan on, he sent a surge of chakra to his feet and kicked off from the ground.

It was moments after Sasuke drove a fire-covered fist into Orochimaru's gut that the Snake Sannin realized that Sasuke had moved. "Fast!" Kabuto murmured, half-impressed, half-apprehensive.

Orochimaru couldn't keep holding onto Sakura any longer; the extra weight didn't allow him to move very much. Ignoring the burn on his stomach, he kicked Sasuke away, and leapt away from him. The snake binding Sakura slithered completely out of his sleeve, leaving her in a corner with Kabuto.

Sasuke appeared in front of Orochimaru again, blowing fire into the Sannin's face, who ducked and elongated his arm to wrap around Sasuke's leg. The Uchiha sent a flare of fire-oriented chakra from out of his legs, and Orochimaru promptly recoiled. Sasuke sent a ball of fire rushing to Orochimaru, but the sallow-faced nin did a quick seal and created a stone wall from out of the floor, which served as protection.

Sasuke, so to speak, took a page out of Sakura's book and concentrated chakra into his fist. His punch through Orochimaru's barrier didn't cause as much damage as it would have if Sakura had done it, but it was enough. As his one arm paused on impact, his other arm had already released snakes from his sleeve. Orochimaru countered the snakes with some more from his own sleeve. The serpents from both nins coiled around each other, biting and wringing, until Sasuke decided to end it by coiling all of his snakes around all of Orochimaru's. He whipped his arm, creating a powerful wave that threw Orochimaru from his firm stand on the ground.

Sasuke advanced on Orochimaru, who had summoned his Kusanagi sword. At the sight of the sword, the obsidian-eyed nin didn't flinch, but he did double up his defenses, arming himself with a kunai in each hand. Orochimaru, after seeing this, laughed softly. "Do you honestly think normal kunai could match up to my legendary Kusanagi?"

The Uchiha readied himself. "Why don't we see?"

Orochimaru ran to him with the Kusanagi aloft, and Sasuke used his lightning speed to meet him. Orochimaru raised the sword above his head to attack, and Sasuke crossed his wrists. As the sword came plunging down, Sasuke raised his crossed wrists to meet the blade. He clamped the blade with the back of his hands and twisted it out of Orochimaru's grasp. He threw the Kusanagi away from the Sannin's reach.

"I think I'm a lot better than some sword," Sasuke said coldly. He threw the two kunai one after the other at Orochimaru, who bent himself to dodge. As he bent to the left, Sasuke shot him flame-covered shuriken, which managed to nick him in places that the Uchiha was sure would hurt.

However, it wasn't as if Orochimaru hadn't been doing anything to attack at all. Orochimaru stretched his one arm quickly, but the Sharingan quickly spotted this movement and Sasuke stopped it. However, Orochimaru he had summoned a snake that came shooting out of his sleeve like a bullet. The snake quickly retrieved the Kusanagi with its jaws, and while Sasuke was wrestling with his arm, Orochimaru directed the snake to drive the Kusanagi into Sasuke from behind.

Sasuke heard the snake whistling through the air and turned to see the Kusanagi heading into him. He dodged quickly, but Orochimaru had caught his ankle with his other stretched hand. As a result, the Kusanagi ripped through the air into Sasuke's sleeve, pinning him to the ground and grazing his arm, which now bled freely.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura whispered hoarsely, still struggling against the snake's merciless grip and blood forming on the corner of her lip.

Orochimaru put his foot on Sasuke before he could stand up. "You're too soft, Sasuke-kun," he said softly as Sasuke tried to raise his head. "So, what do you say? You're still too weak, and I'm thinking… I could still offer you the power you've missed out on getting now that you've decided to frolic with you little village friends." He gave Sakura a careless glance. "I might even throw in Sakura-chan into the package. I'm sure you'd want a personal medic."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, who was turning slightly blue at the lack of oxygen. _Maybe it's better for the both of us if I accepted._ He ground his teeth again, staring up defiantly at Orochimaru's self-satisfied smirk. _If I can't even defeat him…_ _I might as well kill him once I get the power I need._ "I…" he began.

Something flashed into Sakura's eyes as soon as she heard Sasuke's voice. With renewed strength, she began pushing at the snake's grip on her again. "UCHIHA!" she yelled. Everyone's attention snapped to her. "Uchiha… if you compromise this… I swear – I swear I'll kill you myself!"

The snake tightened its grip again, and Sakura began losing the battle to free herself. Sasuke, taking her threat to heart, snapped out of the reverie and rearmed himself with two new kunai. In a flash, he stabbed Orochimaru's foot and freed himself.

The two nin retreated to different sides of the room, getting ready to attack. The Kusanagi was in Orochimaru's hands once more, while all Sasuke had were two kunai. _I'm outmatched in terms of weaponry,_ Sasuke thought, feeling the cloth wrapping around each kunai's handle. _If I could only fortify them…_

A stroke of genius hit the prodigy, and he concentrated chakra into his two arms. To everyone's shock, the Chidori began to crackle around each kunai, emitting a sharp electric blue light. "Come on," Sasuke growled.

Orochimaru went in for the attack, and Sasuke went as well. He could feel the kunai getting weak at the intensity of the electricity, but he had to sustain it longer. In a blink, he had moved from his original position to in front of Orochimaru. He swiped one electrically charged kunai at the Kusanagi, cracking it, and swiped the other kunai at one of Orochimaru's legs.

The kunai finally broke, rendering them useless, and the Chidori dissipated. But the attack wasn't without merits – Orochimaru clutched at the leg Sasuke hit, and found that it was numb and immobile. The mocking smirk had been wiped off Orochimaru's face, replaced with a murderous kind of expression. Sasuke watched him form a couple of new hand seals.

Instantly, Sasuke felt pain erupting on the base of his neck, and soon, he was hard put at trying to control the Curse Seal from spreading. He knew, based on the experience he had gotten from training with the Snake Sannin for three years, that the Curse Seal was like a puppet's string – Orochimaru, as the puppet master, could somehow limit his movements with it. It was now a battle of wills as Sasuke tried to keep the Curse Seal in place. But it was rendering him immobile as well and he couldn't attack. What was worse was that it was causing inexplicable amounts of pain.

Out of the corner of his burning eyes, he caught a sudden movement. His Sharingan eyes widened when Sakura, out of desperation, had gathered enough chakra into her arms and ripped the snake into two to get out of its grip. Kabuto, reacting quickly, went forward to restrain her. He formed the lethal Satsugaite no Jutsu and made to hit her with it, but she raised her leg and hit his head with the back of her foot.

She wasted no time forming the same killing jutsu Kabuto almost used on her, and directed her attack onto Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin released the jutsu he was using to control Sasuke and went to control Sakura instead. She swiped her killing chakra onto him, but he caught her wrist before she could touch anything. Sasuke did his best to stand up after the numbing pain that he had just felt and threw fire-covered shuriken at Orochimaru, who rolled away, dropping Sakura. The kunoichi rolled on the floor, spent and unconscious because of the prolonged suffocation.

At that instant, several people appeared from the stairwell – they were Hinata, Lee, Shizune, Anko, and four ANBU nins. "Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto muttered, now at his master's side once more, and Orochimaru nodded at him. This time, they were the ones outmatched.

"We'll meet again, Sasuke-kun," he hissed at the Uchiha. Said Uchiha stepped forward to stop him from leaving, but in a poof of a cloud, the Sannin and his lieutenant were gone.

Sasuke, dazed at the events, stared at the spot where the two had vanished. "You four," Shizune directed at the four ANBU, "go and follow them." The ANBU nodded and also vanished.

As Shizune healed Sakura's broken ribs, Anko knelt beside Sasuke, who was still dazed. "Hey, you all right?" she murmured softly.

Sasuke met her kind brown eyes with his own hollow ones. "You…" He swallowed, and tried again. "You have a Curse Seal, too, right?"

"Yeah," Anko said, rubbing the base of her neck. "I've had it sealed last year, though. I felt him when the daimyo started entering the Main Hall. I was pretty surprised that you didn't. I suppose… it's because you've been nearer to him than I have these past few years." Sasuke nodded numbly, watching Sakura being tended to by Shizune. Anko followed his gaze. "She's going to be all right, Sasuke. She's a lot stronger than you guys give her credit for."

Anko didn't have to say that for Sasuke to know that. _But no matter how strong Sakura will become… even if she surpasses Tsunade-sama… Orochimaru will go after her. And Naruto has enough people after him without Orochimaru as well._ Anko pulled him up, leading him away from the battle scene. _I may want to stay here, but… will it be safe enough for them?_

* * *

When the other battle was still raging a few stories above the Main Hall, Naruto was preoccupied with his battle. _Tsk. If only I had my weapons, I don't have to be tied down! I can't even get close enough to do Rasengan, because she ties up my Kage Bunshin too!_

The battle field was already filled with so much grass that it could be mistaken for a meadow already. Naruto, for the past five minutes, had been diligently dodging Makkuro's grass, and several times, he had almost not gotten away before she threw a blow. He was matched up against an opponent who was capable enough in preventing him from playing offensive.

Makkuro formed another batch of seals, and bamboo shoots popped out of the floor. She threw her shuriken to cut the bamboo so that if Naruto should fall on them, he'd be spiked. Then she grew more grass from under Naruto's feet, forcing him to move away. She manipulated the grass to drive him nearer and nearer the bamboo spikes, and it was getting harder for Naruto to dodge now that seventy percent of the floor space was covered with grass.

As he jumped backwards, avoiding Makkuro's grass, he found that he was nearing the bamboo spikes she had made. He made a Kage Bunshin right behind him, which picked him up and threw him to a safe place, away from the bamboo spikes. Unfortunately, Makkuro had Plan B. The place farthest away from the bamboo spikes happened to be the grassiest area of all.

Before Naruto knew what was happening, the grass had not only crept up his legs, but his arms as well. He pulled and tugged, but the grass had become as strong as rope. Makkuro tightened the grass bindings that Naruto felt welts forming around his limbs. From where he sat, Gaara leaned forward, interested in how Naruto was getting out of this. _His usual techniques have been rendered almost virtually useless. What's going to happen to him?_

The sapphire-eyed apprentice of Jiraiya concentrated hard. What in the world could help him get out of this mess? He searched his mind for all the lessons Jiraiya had taught him – the ones he didn't pay much attention to. Perhaps there was an elemental ninjutsu he thought was useless…?

It finally came to him. "_OI! Pay attention, Naruto! Listen – your chakra nature is of the wind element. Remember that – your chakra can be used as a kind of blade. As long as you send it in surges that are sharp enough, you can cut through anything._"

How could he have been so careless in forgetting such a lesson? Deciding to beat himself up for it later, he concentrated his wind-oriented chakra around his arms and legs, where the grass was binding tighter and tighter. In an instant, he released the chakra.

To everyone's surprise, the grass around his limbs ripped vertically, freeing him. Naruto almost laughed at his discovery; so here was a blade that would always be with him as long as he had enough chakra. He ran to Makkuro, who quickly manipulated the grass once more. Each time the grass tried to grasp him, however, all it took was a wave of his hand and the grass got cut.

_This is… amazing,_ Temari marveled silently. _Most ninja, including myself, have to use some kind of weapon to draw out our wind-based chakra. And here he is, using his arms! If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time he's ever used such a technique!_ She smiled to herself. _He may be less of an idiot than people think._

Soon enough, he was near enough to attack Makkuro. The kunoichi crisscrossed her fingers again to form the grass shield she had used before, but Naruto cut through it with his wind chakra. As soon as he was in sight, Makkuro kicked him across the face, sending him flying, but he formed another clone, which threw him towards her.

Makkuro crossed her arms in front of her face as Naruto aimed his foot at it. The impact sent her feet skidding on the floor, but she held her ground. Naruto then began to punch and kick her, and the kunoichi could do nothing but block and dodge his moves.

He focused a punch to her face, and she bent backward. She summoned her lower body strength to kick Naruto's arm up, and while the blond's arm was in hang time, she flipped away from him. He ran towards her, but then, she raised her hand. Genma glanced at it.

"I… give up," she said simply. Naruto skidded to a halt and dropped his jaw, but she only shook her head. _Now that he's found some other thing to use as a blade, my attacks are useless. I guess I have to train in taijutsu a bit more._

"So… the winner for the last match is Uzumaki Naruto," Genma said. The part of the crowd that wasn't made up of respectable daimyo erupted into a loud cheer. Gaara sighed and sat back on his chair, and Tsunade pumped her fist up. "That's the way to go, Naruto!" she shouted.

Naruto laughed and walked towards Makkuro, extending his hand. The dark haired kunoichi blinked. "It's called a handshake," Naruto said amiably as she stared at him.

"I…"

Naruto grinned at her, and to his surprise as much as her own, she blushed a pale pink. She grasped his proffered hand and shook it briefly. "Good match," the loud shinobi said. "You almost had me there."

"Well, maybe," Makkuro agreed. "Let's have a rematch sometime, hey, Hokage Fanatic?"

Naruto puffed out his cheeks. "Stop calling me that! I told you, I'm becoming Hokage one day!"

_Well, this was certainly interesting,_ Tsunade thought, standing up to greet the winners of the matches. _I never thought it would end up this way. Still, I've had more fun than I've ever had in a long time._

As the winners lined up in front of her to receive the instructions for the next day's matches, her brows knitted together. _Where's Uchiha Sasuke, anyway?_

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Sakura:** The most awaited matches are about to commence. It's been very exciting, these first few matches, but the ones tomorrow are total butt-kicking, body-thrashing, bone-breaking fun. Guess it'll be more work for the medics - I, however, have to sit in a crummy infirmary.

Sasuke-kun needs a bit of a talking to, though. Naruto's okay enough – I just need to bring his head back from the clouds. He's always excited whenever he gets the chance to thrash Sasuke-kun. And now he can get to do it in front of thousands of people.

Next chapter, _Fight To The End! Best Friend Rivalry._

Yet again, I'm going to have to sit back and miss out on all the fun. Pfft.

* * *

**AN:** I was determined to finish this within a couple of weeks. I worked hard on these fight scenes – they've been the hardest to make so far. But I have a feeling the next ones are going to be even harder. I'm pretty proud of how I worked in Naruto's wind chakra thing, though – the fact that the manga is becoming so different from my fanfic is making me insecure. 

I've decided to cut down the number of chapters into less than 40, but it's still going to be more than 30. I'll work out how I'm going to do that, before I post the new chapter.

Anyway, leave me a comment or two. Long reviews are most appreciated!


	18. Fight To The End! Best Friend Rivalry

**AN:** Here's 18th chapter, as early as promised. And like I promised, there's a bit of SasuSaku fluff. Sasuke might come off a little OOC, though. And as for the battle scene between Naruto and Sasuke, it'll be one of my most explosive battle scenes yet, particularly because it's the last that I will be writing for a Naruto versus Sasuke. All my thanks to one of my best friends, EM, or better known as jeran1290 on the Net. He helped me plan out the battle scenes. This chapter might be a bit longer than usual, so be prepared. As always, I hope that you'll be able to get what I'm trying to say in the fight scenes.

Thanks to all those who reviewed! I can't put my usual "Thanks" section anymore… but I DID reply to almost every review that was sent to me, so… we're fine, right?

And just so you guys know, I'm planning to change my format to InoShikaTem. I find this OT3 very interesting, after all. They're a minor pairing, so I suppose not many people are going to be affected by this change. Um… right?

* * *

**Chapter 18: Fight To The End! Best Friend Rivalry**

* * *

Naruto's dulled blue eyes watched Sakura's chest rise and fall under the white sheets of the infirmary bed she lay in. He could feel Sasuke beside him; Naruto could say now how he felt the gloom that always seemed to accompany the Uchiha avenger. 

Koun, on the other hand, had gotten up from his bed in the same infirmary wing and joined them a few minutes back. Sasuke had already explained to both of them the events that had taken place a few floors about Naruto's own battle. The younger genin stared in disbelief at Sakura's face, not comprehending that such could happen. He had been in for an adventure when he joined Team 7 temporarily, and he didn't even know it then.

Sasuke held Sakura's limp white hand, seemingly deep in miserable thoughts. Naruto recalled hearing about what had happened from Kakashi, immediately dissipating his euphoria from winning. He had rushed as fast as he could to the infirmary, where he found Sasuke staring in space while medics attended to him and Sakura. He hadn't spoken a word except to explain what had happened in his most monotonous tone.

Tsunade had ordered the event hushed up from the public to prevent a widespread panic – the village had not forgotten Orochimaru's last attack. Kakashi, along with some other jounin, were tracking Orochimaru and Kabuto down, but Naruto knew, from his experience with the Snake Sannin, that they were either long gone or in hiding, and wouldn't be detected unless they chose to be.

Naruto focused on Sakura's peacefully sleeping face, and his heart wrenched. He hadn't been there to protect her. Even if he knew that _logically_ it wasn't his fault, he wasn't a logical person and still thought of it as his mistake. This was why he wanted to become a Chuunin so much – it wasn't because he wanted to prove his strength, but he because he wanted to be in Sakura's level of shinobi-hood, therefore closer to Sakura herself.

He glanced at Sasuke. The Uchiha avenger had been there, but now, just like him, he had a thoroughly despondent expression. Now, Naruto wondered – would it have been better to be there and see Sakura suffer, or not to have been there at all? For sure, it would've affected him either way, because it his precious _Sakura-chan_, no less. _But if I was there, I could've saved her while Sasuke was preoccupied with Orochimaru. I_ could've.

The room was silent for the next couple of hours, with Konohamaru punctuating the silence with a couple of snores once in a while. During early evening, Kakashi entered the infirmary, looking exhausted. "You're late," Naruto murmured, his expression crossed between an accusatory glare and a sad look.

"I was helping a chicken cross the road-"

"Liar." It was Sasuke who said it this time. Kakashi took a look at his downcast subordinates and sighed.

"She'll get better, y'know," he said softly. "Her injuries weren't _that_ bad – two broken ribs and mild asphyxia is easy to recover from. You three need to get some rest – especially those of you who have matches tomorrow." He gave a pointed glance at Naruto and Sasuke.

The blond reluctantly got off his seat beside Sakura's bed and climbed into his own hospital bed, Koun doing likewise. Sasuke did so as well, but as soon as Kakashi had gone out of the room and Naruto's snores joined Konohamaru's, he sat by Sakura's bed again.

He blamed himself entirely for what happened to her. She wasn't hurt too badly, but a repeat encounter could mean greater injuries for her. Now that Orochimaru knew he could use both Naruto and Sakura to set him off, they were in greater danger than ever.

He held her hand in both of his. What was hard was that he couldn't refuse Orochimaru with his teammates' safety on the line. "What the hell am I going to do?" he whispered hoarsely, holding her hand close to her forehead. "You can't keep getting hurt like this… but Orochimaru will keep doing this until he gets me."

He played with Sakura's limp fingers. "Maybe I ought to leave," he murmured, mapping out the possibilities in his mind. "It's not that I want to, but you idiots are going to keep getting hurt if I don't do this."

He laughed humorlessly. "God I'm pathetic," he mumbled, burying his face into her mattress. "I'm talking to you about this only when you can't hear me."

"Not really. I heard every word you said."

He looked up, astonished and mortified, as Sakura struggled to sit up on the bed. Automatically, he glared at her, saying, "Lie down. You'll hurt yourself."

Sakura laughed. "You talked as if I can't handle myself."

"I thought you were asleep," Sasuke said quietly, looking around to see whether or not Naruto and Koun were also pretending to be asleep. Thankfully, they were in so deep a sleep as grass during winter.

"I'm very good at pretending to be," Sakura said, shrugging. "I'm a kunoichi, remember? Besides, who wouldn't pretend to sleep when _the_ Uchiha Sasuke bares his soul?" He glared at her again, but she only laughed lightly. Then she sighed and ruffled Sasuke's raven hair. "You're truly as pathetic as you said, Sasuke-kun," she said softly. "But not for the reason you think. Did you honestly believe for a minute that it's better for us if you left?"

"Orochimaru wouldn't hurt you if I did."

"No, but _you_ would hurt us. That's truly a lot worse for you and us, because I'd rather be hurt physically than emotionally."

"Well, what do you think I'd feel if you were killed because I refused the Snake Bastard?"

Sakura frowned and pinched Sasuke's cheek. "Dammit, you jerk!" she hissed, annoyed. "Why do you have to underestimate my abilities anyway? I can handle myself, thank you very much!"

"So why are you in a hospital bed now?" Sasuke challenged, rubbing his sore cheek.

"Well, I'm not in a coma or in a coffin, am I?"

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "The point is – he won't stop going after you until I give him what he wants."

"And Naruto and I are going to be extremely hurt, now more than before, if you left. We've only just reconnected with you!" Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but Sakura squeezed his hand. "This is a test on how much we trust each other. We trust that you'll stay with us until forever. Why can't you trust us enough to know that we'll be able to keep ourselves alive and healthy?"

Her beseeching look almost put his guard down. _Almost_. But it was enough to replace his defiant look into a more relaxed one. "I just… I don't want to lose either of you. Not the way I lost my clan. It's enough for me to know that you guys are alive."

"Oh Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, grinning, "you really do care, after all."

Sasuke put on his most threatening face. "Shut up. And if you tell Naruto, I'll… I'll…" Sakura prompted him with a raised eyebrow, and he gave up. "Just stop arguing with me."

Sakura sighed. "If you promise me that you won't leave, we can promise you that we'll be with you to kick Orochimaru's ass to kingdom come. Okay?"

Her determined gaze, green eyes blazing, seemed to tell him more than that, that there was no need for more spoken promises. She was determined to live for him, and he shouldn't have been worried in the first place. He knew that he'd never stop worrying about her and Naruto, but he could at least pretend he wasn't and trust in their abilities.

"Aa."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said in irritation. "Is that all you can really say?"

He smirked. "Hn."

* * *

When morning came, Tsunade came and gave Naruto and Sasuke a once-over. "All right," she said, nodding. "You're good to go. Good luck out there." 

Naruto and Sasuke didn't say anything more, but walked out of the infirmary without any other word. Sakura, her trunk area still wrapped in bandages, made to follow, but Tsunade stopped her. "Shishou-" Sakura began to protest, but her master raised her hand for silence.

"You're not yet fully healed," she reasoned. "And so are both of you," she added, nodding to Koun and Konohamaru, who were trying to sneak out while Tsunade's attention was on Sakura. They slumped and climbed back into their beds. The Hokage smiled. "But I _will_ have a television set brought in for you three. Does that sound like a deal?"

It wasn't as good as watching it live, but it was better than wondering what was happening outside. The three of them cheered their approval.

Meanwhile, Naruto looked behind him. "I thought Sakura-chan was going with us."

"She's probably been detained there by the Hokage," Sasuke said indifferently. "She won't be there to interfere when we fight."

Sasuke and Naruto smirked at each other. It was already a given that they were fighting each other – there was no question that they were better than all the other genin present. They were probably already better than most of the Chuunin in Konoha. And they knew Sakura had the knack of preventing them from dealing their final blows, particularly because she was always too anxious for the both of them, and seeing her closest friends fight like that always affected her emotionally. Those hindrances wouldn't be there in their last serious battle with each other. It would be their last, most crucial battle.

Presently, Lee and Hinata arrived to greet them at the end of the hall. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun," Lee said, greeting them with a nod. "If you would follow us to the arena, please – there has been a battle ground set up outside of the Tower for the purpose of these last few matches." Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other while they followed the two Chuunin out of the Tower.

"They set up a new battle ground for us?" Naruto asked.

Lee grinned (Naruto thought he heard a small _ping_). "The arena inside the Tower is much too small to contain your outbursts of youth!" he exclaimed. "Therefore, a wider area must be created for you to release all that youthful energy!"

"The other arena, the one where our first Chuunin Exam was culminated, was much too far from here," Hinata explained quietly. "Since the important lords stayed the night here, they might as well watch the match here…"

They walked into the arena built just behind the Tower. It was a little smaller than the arena where they fought the other time, but a great deal larger than the one inside the Tower. They were lead to the viewing deck where the remaining six examinees waited out the other matches.

Lee turned to go, but Hinata stayed behind for a few moments. "N-naruto-kun," she stammered, twiddling her fingers, "I-I have s-something to s-say…"

Sasuke took that as his cue to become interested at the swelling crowd in the bleachers. "What is it, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I… um… I…" Hinata said, struggling get the words out. Naruto frowned inquisitively. "I… wanted to say…" She took a deep breath. "Good luck!" And she turned and ran away.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "That's… it?" he mumbled to himself. He scratched his head in frustration and took off after her. "H-hey, Hinata-chan, wait!" He reached her as she descended the stairs and grasped her wrist. She turned to look at him apprehensively. "I… I've got something to say too," Naruto said, staring at her wide-eyed expression. _Her eyes aren't all that white, after all,_ he thought dazedly, staring at her eyes. _They're… kind of a really pale lavender…_

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata murmured softly, her cheeks heating up. He hadn't let go of her wrist.

"Ehehe…" Naruto looked sheepish. "I… I just wanted to tell you…" The words went clean out of his mind, and his heart was beating faster. Finally, he managed to breathe, "Thanks."

"Oi, Naruto!" Sasuke called from up the staircase. "The matches are about to start! Hokage-sama's refereeing!"

"I gotta go," Naruto muttered, granting her a awkward grin. On that note, he took off towards the viewing deck again. Hinata sighed dreamily, and went back to her post.

Outside in the arena, to everyone's surprise, Tsunade had taken it upon herself to referee. "All right!" she boomed, and the crowd cheered. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Gari Osore," she called. The Grass nin stepped forward. "Nagai Hebi." The Sound nin did the same. "Start your match!"

* * *

About twenty minutes of vigorous fighting later, Osore had to be carried out by the medics to the infirmary to be treated for his wounds, inflicted by the victorious Hebi, who went back to the viewing deck. Tsunade waved to the crowds. "Now, we shall have the next match! Uzumaki Naruto! Kura Fuan! Please come down here!" 

Fuan smirked arrogantly and jumped into the arena from the deck. Sasuke glanced at Naruto as he started to do the same. The blond grinned at him, and he nodded. There was a silent agreement between them – they would both try to make their match come up sooner.

"Ready to get your ass handed to you?" Fuan said under his breath as Naruto arrived in front of him.

"Big words for someone who's getting his kicked all the way to Hidden Grass," Naruto answered in like.

"Ooh, should I be scared, Rokudaime Hokage?" Fuan asked mockingly.

"Don't be," Naruto replied with a smirk. "Or I wouldn't have fun making you cry."

"Uzumaki! Kura!" Tsunade yelled. "Begin your match!" She smirked. _I can't wait for Naruto to give this brat a good thrashing._

Fuan jumped back a good distance from Naruto. "Don't worry, Uzumaki! I'll make sure you deserve the name Hokage like all the other first-class chumps who have the title!" He created a couple of Iwa Bunshin.

Naruto had a fierce look on his face, and had Fuan not thought of himself highly as a shinobi, he would've recoiled. "I told you to watch out when you make cracks like that! Now I'm kicking your ass twice as hard!"

"Let's see you try!" Fuan called, sending his Iwa Bunshin towards Naruto, who merely punched them into oblivion. Fuan created a batch of four, which surrounded Naruto in all four directions. One rock clone tried to punch him, but Naruto got a good hit on him. Two tried to attack him simultaneously, but Naruto merely jumped, attached an explosive tag on one and detonated it, sending both bunshin exploding. Finally, there was only one left, and Naruto gave it two punches to make it disappear.

_This guy will probably only last five minutes against Naruto,_ Shikamaru thought as he stood beside Lee, behind Gaara's seat in the stands. _Naruto has way too much stamina, and I bet Fuan's exhausting himself already. His Iwa Bunshin haven't even gotten at least one good hit on Naruto._

Fuan created another batch, eight this time, and they charged onto him one by one. Naruto smirked and created only one Kage Bunshin beside him. Each Iwa Bunshin that went to them was dealt with by Naruto, while Naruto's clone went off to finish off the others that came rushing to him. All Fuan could do was create more and more rock clones for Naruto to deal with, but the blond jinchuuriki only kept finishing them off without even breaking a sweat.

Sakura, Koun, and Konohamaru leaned forward towards the TV set. "As expected from the man I respect!" Konohamaru exclaimed, and his companions cheered for Naruto with him.

"Okay, time to end this!" Naruto yelled cheerfully, and began to run towards Fuan. Instantly, the Grass nin summoned sixteen Iwa Bunshin, lining them up into rows of four. Naruto jumped up and created four Kage Bunshin. These bunshin dived at Fuan's rock clones and proceeded to pummel them as quickly as possible, giving Naruto a clear line towards Fuan.

Before the dark haired nin could react, Naruto created four more Kage Bunshin, which slid in from under Fuan to kick him up. "U-zu-ma-ki-"

Naruto leapt up, and delivered the final punch into Fuan's face. "Naruto Rendan!" he yelled, completing the technique. Fuan's body went plummeting down to earth, creating a crater around his body. All the bunshin in the battle field vanished in several pops as Naruto landed beside Fuan's limp body, and watched it twitch. "HA! Who's the first-class chump now?!" Fuan didn't respond, and Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Hey," he said, crouching down and poking Fuan's head. "Are you alive? Come on. I didn't hit you _that_ hard, did I?"

"Winner of this match," Tsunade announced happily, "Uzumaki Naruto!"

"You heard it from Tsunade-sama herself, folks," the commentator on TV said as the crowds cheered, Sakura and the two boys joining in. "Uzumaki Naruto takes the win in a stunningly short four minute bout!"

_Guess I was wrong,_ Shikamaru said to himself, smirking. _Fuan only lasted _four _minutes._

The crowds cheered for Naruto, who jumped up back into the viewing deck again. "Ha!" he laughed at Sasuke, who bristled crossly. "Let's see you beat _that_, Sasuke-teme!"

The Uchiha prodigy scoffed as Tsunade called him down the arena with Chikyu. "Of course I can beat that time. I'll see you in three minutes."

On the other side of the viewing deck, Hebi stopped Chikyu for a moment before she went down to the arena. "It'll be a mistake to get the Uchiha mad," Hebi warned in his most silent voice.

Chikyu merely smirked. "I'm confident about my skills and pedigree, thank you very much." With that, she jumped into the arena with Sasuke. They faced each other without a word, but Sasuke's hostility was clear in his darkened eyes.

"All right – start!"

Chikyu readied herself to attack first, but Sasuke had wasted no time and had already disappeared in a blink. In another blink, he was crouched in front of her, Sharingan alight, and he kicked her up into the air. "Too slow," he sneered, and rained on her some punches before slamming his leg across her stomach. "Shishi Rendan!"

As his leg made contact, however, Chikyu had touched his bare ankle in a split second. She crashed to the ground, but stood up again, ready to fight. Sasuke, on the other hand, flipped away, his ankle bleeding – she had impacted the skin, but fortunately for him, nothing more.

_I suppose taijutsu won't do any good for Sasuke,_ Kakashi thought. _He's going to have to make use of his ninjutsu training. Shouldn't be too hard._

Naruto, watching from the deck, glanced at the timer set above the stands. _Man. He's only been in the battle for fifteen seconds and he's already got in a lot of blows. I guess Sasuke's really the one of the quickest shinobi in Konoha._

Sasuke let chakra flow into his legs, took a step forward, and vanished. Chikyu looked around, to see where he would strike. She could hear his footsteps tapping lightly on the ground – he was spinning around her so fast while looking for an opening. She readied her hands for an attack.

The Uchiha decided to appear right in front of her, and she reached out to place her palms on him. But before she could, he blew fire straight to her, and she blocked the fire with her arms, effectively burning them. She tore her burnt sleeves off in frustration.

"Looks like he was forming the seals for that technique while he was running," Chouji said to Ino. Today, they joined the other people in the stands, and were finding out how much better watching it live was than watching it on television. "Sasuke's amazing!"

Ino grinned and stood up. "Go get 'em, Sasuke-kun!" she cheered loudly, waving her arms. "Give her the ol' one-two kick-punch combo!"

Shikamaru, who was way across the arena, sighed. "Even now, she still cheers so loudly. How troublesome."

"I don't know how you put up with her," Temari sighed, smiling faintly.

"Yeah, well, the same way I put up with you, I suppose," Shikamaru replied nonchalantly. Temari pouted.

Chikyu was getting frustrated. She had not gotten a single good hit on Sasuke, and she was determined to make his insides explode. _I don't care what Orochimaru-sama says – I'm going to make that pretty face explode into a thousand pieces of flesh!_ She gave a feral yell, readied her palms, and ran to him. She swiped her hands at him, but he was dodging as easily as ever.

Sasuke glanced at the clock. The match had been going on for about three minutes and twenty seconds. _Time's almost up,_ he thought. As she tried to catch him off guard with a kick, he caught her foot with one hand. He threw her off course, and as she flew in the air, he whipped out metal strings from his sleeves and ran after her. Before she could react, he held her wrists and proceeded to tie the metal string around them.

As he tightened the knot, she managed to right herself and use her feet to attack him while trying to wriggle out of the metal string. She gave him a side kick, which he blocked with his arm. As she landed, almost done with freeing herself, he ran to her. She swiped her hand at his chest.

She was too late. He punched her in the gut, immobilizing her. She coughed out and gasped. Sasuke watched her expressionlessly as she slumped.

"Why…" Chikyu tried to say, gasping. "Why won't you… go with Orochimaru-sama?" she finally whispered hoarsely.

Sasuke glanced at her as if she were a mere speck. "If you weren't paying attention yesterday, your loss – I'm not repeating myself."

Chikyu's eyes widened, and she fell unconscious. It was a few seconds after that when Tsunade realized what was happening. "T-the winner – Uchiha Sasuke!" The crowd cheered loudly.

"Quite the matches we're having today, no?" Hyuuga Hiashi commented to his nephew, who sat beside him, Hanabi, and Tenten. "The Uchiha has grown much since the last Chuunin Exam he participated in."

"True – he finished the match in three minutes and fifty-six seconds," Neji replied. "But I'm surprised by the Naruto's growth as well. And to think he graduated last in their class."

"I suppose they have truly become more than competent shinobi," the Hyuuga clan leader nodded. "But I wonder who's better?"

"We'll just have to see when they fight, I presume," Neji said.

Back in the hospital room, Koun was pumping up his fist while Konohamaru jumped up and down his bed. "Sasuke-niichan was amazing!" he exclaimed. "Did you see how fast he beat up that girl? He was so awesome! Right, Sakura-neechan?" Konohamaru stopped his revelry. "Sakura-neechan…?"

Sakura snapped out of her reverie. "Ah! Oh, yeah, Konohamaru. He was great. And so was Naruto, too." Koun and Konohamaru cheered their approval, but Sakura frowned at her bed sheets. _That could only mean… they'll be going against each other soon… and I'm not allowed to stop them._

* * *

Tsunade announced a thirty-minute break to commence while her staff got the three remaining examinees into tiptop shape once more. The three were led into a small room, where three ANBU medics waited to heal their injuries. 

Naruto had no injuries to speak of, and the medic assigned to him left. As he drank from his water bottle, he grinned at Sasuke, who was being healed of the bleeding on his ankle. "Haha, you got injured!" he teased the obsidian-eyed boy.

"Oh, shut it, Naruto," Sasuke sighed. "You're just sore because I beat your time. So there."

"Well, I was a little slow because I didn't use my techniques too much! I was saving chakra."

"I managed to beat my opponent without expending too much of mine. I probably wouldn't need much with you, either."

"What'd you say, teme?!"

"I said shut it, freakin' idiot."

While the two argued over the little matter, the other examinee besides them, Hebi, was being healed of his injuries by a third ANBU medic. As of that moment, the injury on his stomach was being taken care of. _I wonder how Orochimaru-sama's going to take this,_ he thought to himself. _Sainan failed, and Chikyu failed. I'm the only one left to show some sense to Uchiha Sasuke._

"There, I'm done with your stomach," the masked ANBU said. "Please proceed to the viewing deck to await your turn."

Hebi frowned; his stomach felt odd. "Upset stomach," he grunted, and went into the bathroom just beside that small room. The ANBU nodded and left.

"I've done the job," the ANBU muttered into his transmitter. "I've finished with Chikyu and Sainan as well. Will that be all?"

"Yes," a voice crackled in earphone. "Let's head on back – Tsunade-hime's not going to be pleased."

* * *

"Tsunade-sama!" a Chuunin called, running into the arena. The female Hokage turned. "Tsunade-sama, something bad's happened!" 

"Well, don't be too loud about it!" Tsunade hissed, beckoning the Chuunin closer. "What's happened?"

"The Grass poseurs, ma'am – the three Sound genin," he said. "All of them were found dead."

Tsunade's hazel eyes widened. "Are their bodies intact?" she asked as the Chuunin lead her out of the arena.

'Yes, somehow," he replied. "We've brought them into a room for examination."

Tsunade entered the said room, where the three nins' bodies lay under blankets. She scanned the bodies, her frown of disbelief becoming more pronounced every moment. "They were killed the same way," she breathed. "Someone altered the amount of stomach acid their bodies produced so that the cells produced more and more every second. The acid ate its way through their stomachs and into their other organs. They've been decomposed alive."

The Slug Sannin turned to the Chuunin. "Do we know who were the last people to make contact with these three?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied. "We received reports that the same ANBU medic healed them all in the stomach, where all three had some injuries."

_So this is your final trick before your disappearing act, Orochimaru,_ Tsunade realized, her face contorting in anger. _You had your own subordinates killed by Kabuto for failing to psych Uchiha Sasuke into coming back with you._ Aloud, she ordered, "This must be kept classified. No one under the rank of Jounin except the witnesses must know that this has happened. Dismissed!"

A few minutes later, a surprised Naruto and Sasuke were informed that they would be battling each other soon.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke as they were informed. "What happened to the other guy?"

"Probably chickened out," Sasuke said with a shrug.

* * *

The last battle was about to commence, and the crowd was restless with anticipation. "This is going to be the most exciting match yet!" Ino said excitedly. "It'll be more explosive than all the other matches combined!" 

"Yeah," Chouji said, munching on his chips. "And to think that just a few weeks ago, if Naruto and Sasuke went neck to neck, they'd do it as enemies. Now they'll be fighting it out as rivals."

"That's true," Ino agreed. "I wonder why that other guy forfeited, though." She laughed. "Oh, well! All the better for us – we all wanna see Naruto and Sasuke-kun getting it on!"

Chouji grimaced. "That sounded… wrong for some reason."

Naruto and Sasuke walked the long hall into the arena. "Are you ready?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"I saved all my energy for this," Naruto said in a voice just as silent, looking straight ahead. "I won't underestimate you."

"Neither would I," Sasuke replied, gazing at the light at the end of the hall. "This is our last. No holding back."

"Yeah," Naruto said. Just before the hall opened into the arena, he stopped. Sasuke followed suit, looking at Naruto inquisitively. The blond Kyuubi vessel turned to him with a most serious look on his face. "When this is done, it's _done_, okay?"

Sasuke nodded shortly.

"And…" Naruto's sapphire optics softened. "We're still best friends after this, right?"

Sasuke blinked. Then he smirked. "Aa." Naruto grinned. "But-"

"But?"

The Uchiha's smirk was mischievous. "But Sakura doesn't have to know that."

Naruto laughed out loud. "Then you're still my rival, after all!"

"All right everyone!" Tsunade yelled into the microphone as Naruto and Sasuke stood in front of each other in the arena. "The battle you've all been waiting to see – Uzumaki Naruto versus Uchiha Sasuke. Lemme hear you make some noise!" The crowd cheered, clapped, and cat-called at her prompting. "Right," she said more quietly at Naruto and Sasuke. "You guys ready?"

Naruto and Sasuke nodded. "Just give us the go signal, Tsunade-baachan," the blond said.

Back in the infirmary, Sakura watched the TV intently with Koun and Konohamaru, but she was no longer aware of her surroundings; the sound of her heart's beating seemed to have temporarily obscured all sound except for the ones coming from the TV. _This is the last,_ she told herself. _The very last._ Sakura bit her lip. _This will be their most important battle. Judging from what Sasuke-kun told me last night, he still isn't confident about his stay here. He might need to win this battle to solidify his resolve in staying here for good. But that's just so impossible to me. They're much too equal – I have a feeling that neither will win nor lose. I know my boys._

Naruto's cerulean orbs and Sasuke's obsidian optics met, and they seemed to agree on something unspoken – this would be the last gauge of their dominance over the other, and whatever would result would be the finality. Whoever won would clearly be the stronger one.

"Start!"

Naruto reluctantly made the first move, knowing Sasuke would never make the first move on purpose. He created about a hundred Kage Bunshin, all of which surrounded Sasuke at all sides. They all ran to him, ready to attack, while Sasuke turned on his Sharingan. They rushed to him, five by five, alternately punching and kicking him, and he responded by finishing them off quickly with a few choice taijutsu moves, plus a fire jutsu here and there.

Sasuke could see the real Naruto way back in the crowd of bunshin, and he could detect a familiar surge of powerful chakra. _Rasengan!_ Sasuke realized as he finished off the bunshin. True enough, once he had dissipated most of the bunshin, he could see Naruto forming the powerful sphere in his hand. _So he's using his trump card so soon? That can't be right – he probably has a powerful new jutsu he's not telling me about that he'll use later._

He knew, however, he had to stop Naruto before he completed the jutsu. A Kage Bunshin rushed towards Sasuke, but he used its crouched back as leverage to jump high in the air. He blew grand fireball at the bunshin forming the Rasengan on Naruto's hand, and it disappeared. The Rasengan was still there, however unstable, but all Sasuke had to do was aim a spinning kick at Naruto's head to get him out of focus. The incomplete Rasengan dissipated.

"I didn't know he could do that," Tenten commented to Neji. "So you can interrupt Naruto when he's forming Rasengan, huh?"

"You'd have to be extra fast to do that," the Hyuuga prodigy replied. "Uchiha's speed is really more than impressive."

Sasuke had flipped away from Naruto, putting a difference of about five meters between them. He began the new cycle of attacks by jumping into the air, throwing stringed kunai at Naruto, binding him to the ground. Then he blew a fireball that ran through the metal wire towards him.

When the smoke dissipated, there was no one in the bindings. _It was a bunshin!_ Sasuke realized too late as he landed. He felt movement behind him, and he didn't have to turn to see that it was Naruto. The jinchuuriki had formed wind chakra around his kunai and slashed Sasuke's back. Sasuke managed to read his movements just in time to duck, but his shirt's back ripped and his own back had a long gash across it.

Sasuke rolled forward, away from Naruto. _So he can do that too,_ Sasuke thought, eyeing the wind chakra around Naruto's blade. _But he doesn't know I can do it as well._

Naruto grinned at him. "HAH! I injured you, Sasuke-teme!"

A vein ticked under Sasuke's eye. "It isn't over till it's over, freakin' idiot."

They rushed at each other again, countering punch for punch, kick for kick, jutsu for jutsu. Tsunade watched them fight it out with an impressed smile. _They've come a long way,_ she said to herself. _This battle is almost as explosive as the battles you would expect from between two jounin._

Outside the arena, Kiba and Shino stood on guard, their assignment for the day. "Dang!" Kiba complained. "Today was supposed to be our day off, but they just _had_ to increase security! Now we can't watch Sasuke and Naruto's battle!"

"True," Shino said. "I presume it would be the most extreme battle of all the ones that happen today."

"Man. It'd be enough to know what was happening inside," Kiba mumbled, sulking.

"I know what's happening," Shino said. The Inuzuka's jaw dropped when he finally noticed the long line of bugs playing Pass the Message with Shino. "My bugs have been telling me everything."

"How come I never thought of that before?!" Kiba asked, jumping up. "Oi, Akamaru!" The large white dog, who was fitted with a transmitter just like every Chuunin would have, jumped up at the sound of his name. "You get in there and tell me what's happening!" Akamaru barked in agreement and went off towards the arena. Kiba grinned.

Naruto swung a fist at Sasuke, but Sasuke ducked easily under it. The Uchiha then began his Rendan with a kick up Naruto's chin. As Naruto flew up the air, Sasuke, instead of completing the Rendan, threw a batch of string-attached kunai, tying up Naruto around his arms. Without wasting time, Sasuke blew a great fireball at Naruto, singeing the Kyuubi vessel.

Naruto broke out of the metal string and created another army of Kage Bunshin to attack Sasuke, who countered each attack with his superbly quick taijutsu. As he broke through the army of bunshin, Sasuke detected Naruto making a quick move to throw kunai at him, and he caught them one by one as they came whistling towards him. He reached out to catch the last kunai.

But before he could do that, the kunai turned into a smirking Naruto hurtling towards him. He realized the Henge, and the blond twisted in the air, catching Sasuke in a spinning kick. The Uchiha lurched forward, and Naruto gathered four of the remaining Kage Bunshin with him. The four bunshin kicked the Uchiha survivor up in the air, and Naruto himself jumped into the air, flipped twice, and rammed his foot on Sasuke's trunk.

Hinata watched, mesmerized by the sight of Naruto. She'd known, of course, that he would grow up to be an extraordinary ninja, but the Naruto she now watched was way beyond her imagination. He had never seemed so determined before – the other time she watched him fight Sasuke, she could see a murderous intent mixed in with the determination she found in his eyes. It hadn't mattered whether he won, as long as he didn't lose. But now, there was a raw desire to truly emerge victorious, a pure kind of determination without any intent of shedding blood.

"Interesting," Shikamaru muttered, watching Sasuke and Naruto's match unfold more and more.

"What is?" Temari asked.

"I noticed…" Shikamaru said, not taking his eyes off the match, "that each move is matched per move. Almost every attack is counterattacked. Thus far, the cycles of attacks and counterattacks have only been broken thrice."

"Are you saying they've been equal all this time?" Temari asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Kind of," Shikamaru replied. "Naruto looks like he's winning, having broken each cycle twice by injuring Sasuke enough not to counterattack, but Sasuke's catching up really quickly."

Sasuke jumped in the air, throwing a kunai with an explosive tag rolled around the handle, and Naruto, not noticing the tag, reached out to catch the kunai. As soon as he caught it, Sasuke detonated the tag, and Naruto was thrown away by the explosion's impact. The blue-eyed nin, thinking quickly, created Kage Bunshin to appear behind him. The shadow clone caught him by the scruff of the neck, spun him around, and threw him towards Sasuke.

The Uchiha's Sharingan detected Naruto hurtling towards him like an arrow, its tip being the kunai in his hand. As soon as Naruto was in arm's length, he slashed at Sasuke, who rolled away quickly, getting away with only a gash at his right shoulder. Naruto, however, was still hurtling in the air. Panicking as he neared the wall, he reached out to the ground to brake, and ended up rolling on the ground to a halt.

He stood up quickly, throwing string-attached kunai at Sasuke, letting his wind-based chakra flow through the strings to the blades. The obsidian-eyed nin knew that fire was the easy counter to the wind chakra, and threw little fireballs towards the incoming kunai. The fireballs and the wind-enhanced kunai hit each other with a _klang_, and the fireballs dissipated to reveal the shuriken within them.

_Sasuke used a fire jutsu to counter the wind, and shuriken to counter the kunai,_ Kakashi realized. _They've learned how to combine their chakra with weapons pretty much by themselves._ He smiled under his mask. _I've taught them well. _

Asuma, seated beside Kurenai, Ino, and Chouji, focused his gaze on Naruto. _I have to say – the kid's handling his wind-based chakra well. He couldn't have found out about it until yesterday. He learned it pretty quickly. Even_ I _couldn't master it until after a few days._

Naruto blinked for a moment, and when he opened his eyes again, Sasuke had disappeared from his sight. He quickly looked around, but before he could catch a glimpse, Sasuke reappeared in front of him and slashed at him with a kunai that had electricity crackling through it. Sasuke managed to make contact on Naruto's fingers, effectively making them numb. The kunai, however, broke at the intensity of the chakra crackling through them, and Sasuke improvised by driving a punch into Naruto's gut, sending him flying across the arena.

Gaara, watching the match with more scrutiny than anyone, noticed something odd. _Just when they seem they're holding back, they're actually giving it their all, and vice versa._ He narrowed his eyes. _When they're acting this way, I can't tell who will win. _

Naruto focused his wind chakra into his fist, and each time he punched, Sasuke could feel the wind whipping on the skin where Naruto missed. On the other hand, he was dealing his own punches with fire chakra embedded in them. Naruto could feel Sasuke's punches burning where he would hit.

Finally, Sasuke missed a jab towards Naruto, and the Kyuubi boy used this opportunity to kick Sasuke up, the wind helping in bringing Sasuke up. He focused wind chakra onto his feet and jump, bringing him up quite high. However, due to his lack of control of his chakra, he found out that he was too high, and decided to create a Kage Bunshin and do a Rasengan in the air.

Sasuke landed back on the ground again, and did a quick flip to push himself right back into the air to meet Naruto. He focused his chakra onto his hand, creating a Chidori. The crowd gasped as the two forces hurtled towards each other.

Sakura sat up quickly, knowing this was probably it. She couldn't stand the suspense anymore – she had to go and see them, even if she couldn't stop them. Without a word, she slid into her infirmary slippers and began running down the hall, towards the stadium. "Sakura-neechan!" Konohamaru called, standing up to follow her, but Koun put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look!" he exclaimed, pointing at the TV screen. The Chidori and Rasengan met in mid-air, flashing blue and white light everywhere. The two forced each other to back down, Naruto having the advantage of being on top. However, Sasuke managed to thrust forward, and the contact of the two powerful forces repelled them towards opposite directions. The avenger hurtled down to the ground, while the Kyuubi vessel soared in a high parabola in the air, falling towards the stands, near where Gaara was sitting, with his siblings, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Lee standing around him.

These guards were ready to make a move to protect Gaara from the live projectile. Temari readied her fan, Kankuro had a hand on his puppet-summoning scrolls, Shikamaru was ready with a shadow jutsu, Hinata with her Shugohakke, and Lee with a Konoha Senpuu. However, Gaara was way ahead of them – as Naruto fell towards them, he directed his sand to catch Naruto like a baseball glove. The blond saluted him and jumped back into the arena.

Temari and Kankuro glared at Gaara, who blinked. "You're making our job very pointless," his sister muttered, a little annoyed.

Sakura ran in the halls, listening to the commentator's voice echoing in the halls, where speakers were installed. "The two shinobi have fallen but- oh! They're getting up! And looks like they're ready for another round!"

The emerald-eyed medic furrowed her brow. _They're not done yet?_ she thought, confused. _I don't believe these two!_

"They're rushing towards each other – what quick taijutsu Uchiha is dishing out! He's dissipated most of the Kage Bunshin but- no, Uzumaki is rushing in with wind chakra! They're fighting faster than ever – looks like using their trump cards haven't wiped them out yet! We're having a hard time following their movements at the speed they're going at! It's- ouch! That has gotta hurt!"

Sakura's side was hurting, and the area around her broken ribs was throbbing. However, she couldn't stop. She needed to be there, more for her sake than theirs. _I'm_ worried, _dammit – after I promised myself I wouldn't be. What if they lose control? What if Sasuke-kun runs out of chakra and has to depend on the Curse Seal, or Naruto decides to try use the Kyuubi again? Who would be able to stop them from destroying each other?_

_Whatever happens, I have to be there. I don't care if I can't do anything about it. I just have to see it._

Her dress (the only change of clothes she had brought with her) fluttered around her knees as she climbed the stairs towards the raised stands. She couldn't hear the commentator anymore, but she was dreading whatever was happening. She hoped that whatever happened, Kakashi would at least be there to stop them from doing something drastic.

She ground to a halt by a railing in the stands, arriving just in time to see Naruto and Sasuke breathing hard, a long distance from each other. They looked as though they were assessing each other, and thankfully, Sakura found no black marks on Sasuke, or red in Naruto's irises, and thankfully, no sinister chakra around either of them.

Naruto created two Kage Bunshin, while Sasuke gripped two kunai on each of his hands. Naruto's bunshin began creating a Rasengan in each of his hands, while Sasuke's kunai had a large amount of electric chakra crackling around them. Sakura's breath hitched, and her nails dug into her face. How she wanted to jump in and stop them from attacking each other, but she knew there was nothing she could do now.

The two of them rushed in for their attacks, concentration and determination clear in their faces. Kakashi watched them under a prideful eye. _Looks like they have definitely surpassed me,_ he thought, his chest swelling in pride. _I'm going to have to keep them under my watch to help them mature further, but that's really all I can do right now._

Naruto pushed one hand forward, keeping the other a distance away, while Sasuke met his outstretched hand with his one hand. The crowd held its breath, and Sakura bit her lip hard, her eyes wide in horror. In a couple of bright flashes of light, the two Rasengans and two Chidoris met.

Tsunade watched in utter amazement as both boys' arms shuddered while they competed for ascendancy. The right Rasengan, in a deadlock with the left Chidori, was becoming slowly unstable, while the right Chidori began dissipating as the left Rasengan ground through it. All the while, the two youths focused every bit of their being into winning.

In a heart-stopping moment, the left Chidori managed to break through the right Rasengan, grazing Naruto's arm. The right Chidori dissipated completely, the left Rasengan grounding itself onto the kunai Sasuke held, breaking them and leaving it to hit Sasuke's hand. The remaining Chidori swiped in the air, knocking the Rasengan into another deadlock, and the force of the impact blew them apart once more.

Naruto hit one wall of the arena, while Sasuke hit the other. The two slumped, their eyes closed. A scream rang out in the stadium, and it was a moment later when Sakura realized she had done so. She had gone white, and the crowd leaned forward to see who would get up first.

For some, there was no doubt in their mind that a genius like Sasuke would most likely get up first. But for others, Naruto would be the one who'd get up first because of his great stamina. Tsunade eyed them both. _If neither of them gets up, I'm declaring this match a stalemate._

A part of the crowd cheered when Sasuke twitched first. However, Naruto also began getting up. Their knees shook, but soon, they were standing up. _Are they still going to go against each other?_ Kakashi thought. _They couldn't possibly fight anymore – they look beat. It's only a matter of who falls down again._

Sasuke's hand twitched in movement. The crowd began to anticipate his attack, and Naruto almost groaned. Every muscle in his body hurt, and his entire left arm felt numb. He doubted he could handle another punch from the Uchiha. Sasuke raised his hand in the air and looked at Naruto straight in the eye.

"I… give up."

Sakura, who had covered her eyes with her hands, peeked from behind them. _Sasuke-kun… giving up?_ she thought, dazed, as the crowd began to shout their opinion on this newest development.

Tsunade blinked, as much in a surprise as everyone. "Well, then, I declare Uzumaki Naruto to be the wi-"

"I forfeit too!"

Everyone turned to look at Naruto, who had his good hand raised, Sasuke being the most shocked of all. "Wha?" he mumbled, his jaw slackening.

Naruto laughed embarrassedly, rubbing his neck. "Well, Sasuke-teme and I are just too equal. I could never beat him, but I would never let him beat me either. So… um…" He looked at Sasuke, waiting for him to continue.

"Same here," the ebony-haired shinobi said simply, shrugging.

Tsunade stared at them with her most peeved expression, while the crowd buzzed with all the conversations that had started. "Then," she said, "I declare this match… a stalemate!"

The crowd seemed not to know what to feel about this, or else, they were still dazed by the suckerpunch the turn of events had dealt them. Soon enough, they were cheering and shouting their approval.

Sasuke and Naruto walked towards each other, extending their left hands in a handshake, as both their right limbs were injured. Naruto grinned at Sasuke. "Looks like you still can't beat me."

"Don't get cocky," Sasuke said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, well," Naruto replied, "that's _your_ job."

"What-"

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto!"

The two boys turned to where the voice came from. A look at the bleachers told them it was Sakura. She gathered her dress's skirt in her hands and jumped into the arena with them. When she landed, she gave a small wince, and touched her bandages. Though she tried to hide the pain, Sasuke and Naruto were quick to notice. They were instantly at her side.

_This girl…_ Tsunade thought, putting her face in her hand, _she doesn't listen to me whenever it has something to do with her own health._

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked concernedly.

"You shouldn't have gone out of bed," Sasuke scolded.

Sakura laughed and put her arms around both of them. "I just wanted to see you guys, that's all!"

Sasuke took notice of the crystalline liquid that was streaming down her cheeks. "Did we worry you?" he asked.

"Not at all!" Sakura replied.

"Then why are you crying?" Naruto asked, an eyebrow raised.

"You idiots!" she exclaimed, hugging them closer. "These are tears of joy!"

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Sasuke:** The legacy of a father. A filial love that stands amidst all the trials. Acceptance and trust within families. Sometimes I get a little jealous of the Hyuuga clan – they have that which my clan never had, which is probably why they were killed.

Hyuuga Hinata wants our help with something. It only means a new mission for us, then.

Next chapter, _Blood In Our Veins – The Hyuuga Rescue._

A new day is about to dawn for that clan.

* * *

**AN:** A little longer than usual, yep. But I had fun writing it. What do you think?

Just a note – I shortened the entire epic, and what used to be 70 chapters is reduced to 50. That's a real improvement because I'm sure I wouldn't be able to write 70 chapters. That's really too much of a feat. So _Legends In The Making_ has been reduced to 31 chapters, and _Legendary Sannin_ has been reduced to 19 chapters. So that means… the Hyuuga arc I promised you… has been cut into just one chapter. That's okay, right?

Anyway, just tell me what you think! Tenchan over and out!


	19. Blood In Our Veins – The Hyuuga Rescue

**AN: **Another chapter. I know I promised this to appear last week, but it gave me a hard time, and I was grounded from the PC for the weekend. Everyone in the house was, actually.

I can't tell you how hard it's been to even _conceptualize_ this entire chapter which is going to be longer than usual because I fitted an entire arc in one chapter. This is definitely the one chappie that I've had the hardest time with. I can't recall any other chapter that I've had to squeeze my brains out with. It was supposed to be easy – it's about the Hyuugas, and I truly adore those people.

Anyway… please bear with me if I start sounding choppy and weird. And if the fight scenes are going to suck harder than usual. And as for the first scene, it's the result of watching too much Ouran High School Host Club and other cutesy shoujo series. Also, there's some sure NaruHina involved.

Did you notice that in the previous chapters, I may have mistakenly said Sakura and Naruto were 14? Well, after I upload this chapter, I'm editing those out to 15. Just so you guys know.

You know the feeling of plunging down with a bungee cord, and mid-fall, the bungee cord snaps? What I'm feeling isn't probably the same thing, but it's close. Real close. I'm going to be flamed for this chapter – I'm expecting it head on. It really sounds like a badly written filler episode.

Anyway, thanks for the people who reviewed! For the anonymous reviewers who don't leave their emails... I hope you guys do so next time so I can reply to ya!

By the way, a stala**c**tite hangs from the **c**eiling, while a stala**g**mite protrudes from the **g**round. Just a little reference. I know, I get confused too.

* * *

**Chapter 19: Blood In Our Veins – The Hyuuga Rescue  
**

* * *

The rain came down in torrents in the dark July evening, the perfect way to cool down the parched landscape. The guard nins lazed around in the cool atmosphere, savoring the cool atmosphere the midsummer rain lent them. The coffee shops were filled with people whiling away the evening with a cup of well-deserved cappuccino. Even the ones who needed to slave away in the Hokage Tower as usual took the opportunity to cool down for a while. 

And in our favorite household, a certain dark, brooding teen was being tortured horribly by his three housemates.

"Aw, come _on_, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura coaxed. "Just one bite!"

"I am not," Sasuke said slowly, seething. "Putting that _thing_. In my mouth. _Got it_?"

"Don't be such a killjoy," Naruto said, brandishing a fork at him. "Me and Sakura-chan made that cake specially for you! Now eat it!"

"I'm not eating sweets, and I'm certainly not eating _anything_ made by Naruto!" Sasuke snarled at the two of them.

All right, so it wasn't _exactly_ chains and whips, but Sasuke certainly felt like it was. Sakura and Naruto looked at each other disappointedly, and Kakashi removed the metal strings they had used to bind Sasuke down. "It _is_ your 16th birthday, after all," the white-haired jounin said to Sasuke. "It's only normal that you eat cake."

"I blew the stupid candles, didn't I?" Sasuke said, irritated. "It's my birthday – I can do whatever I want. And I want _not_ to eat that cake." Sakura and Naruto glanced at each other, and nodded. Sasuke watched them suspiciously, and they looked at him. Then Sakura's bottom lip twitched, and Naruto's eyes became huge and teary-eyed. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh _no_, you are NOT trying those puppy faces on me!"

He opened one eye, and there it was again – Naruto and Sakura looking pitiful and sad. The green-eyed kunoichi even put in a small beseeching whimper for good measure. Sasuke groaned, surrendering. "Fine," he grumbled, and his teammates cheered. "But just one bite."

Sakura scooped up a piece of cake onto Sasuke's fork and plunged it into his mouth. He grimaced, and Sakura pouted. "Come on. It's not _that_ bad."

"Yeah, but more for us!" Naruto yelled. He and Sakura put their palms together happily, bouncing and cheering, "Keki! Keki!" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Well, putting that aside," Kakashi said, reaching for a long, thin package from behind him and putting it on the table, "it's time for Sasuke to open his gift!"

"Gifts! Gifts!" Naruto and Sakura cheered in the background.

"Would you guys just shut up!?" Sasuke snapped, reaching for the present. They waited with wide eyes as he methodically opened the package.

_Pwiiiiin!_

After a dramatic flash of light, Sasuke felt his jaw slacken as he gazed at the contents of the package. "This is…"

"Yup!" Sakura affirmed. "It's a new sword! Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and I chipped in to get it for you!"

"It took all the wages we got for that mission where we retrieved you," Naruto added, "but it'll make that Chidori thing of yours better, so be thankful!"

"Coincidentally, it comes from the same Kusanagi collection that Orochimaru's sword came from," Kakashi said. "We had it fortified so that it could handle the Chidori better. It was Sakura's idea." Sakura rubbed her nose sheepishly at this. "So, Sasuke, what do you think?"

Sasuke was still staring, stunned at the craftsmanship of the ivory sheath. He ran his hand across its smooth surface. Then he grasped the handle and pulled the hiltless sword from out of the sheath with a _shiiin_. He gazed at it, mesmerized by the steel catching light. "I think he likes it," Naruto whispered to Sakura.

The Uchiha gave a small sigh and put it back into the sheath. "Is there anything you want to say, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura prompted gently.

"Thanks," he mumbled, turning pink with pleasure. He hadn't had a gift like that in a long, _long_ time. Naruto laughed and hit Sasuke on the head.

"Well, now that _that's_ over," Kakashi said, walking over to the door as Sasuke and Naruto wrestled each other, "let's break out the sake!" He revealed a huge barrel labeled _Amakuchi Sake_. He grinned. "It was pretty expensive because it's only brewed in winter, but…"

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura scolded. "We're not of legal age!"

"Who cares?" Kakashi replied. "Nothing but a little illegality to stir things up, right?"

Sasuke, who stopped in the middle of strangling Naruto, eyed the barrel contemptuously. "I do recall you saying 'Whoever doesn't follow ninja rules are trash,' way back when we were genin."

"Well, I also said 'those who leave their friends behind are worse than trash,' if you recall," Kakashi reasoned as-a-matter-of-factly. "You can't leave me behind and let me drink all this sake all by myself. It's a lot more fun if we're all in this together!"

"How is it more fun to get drunk together?" Naruto grumbled. "Kakashi-sensei, you just want an excuse to-"

He stopped mid-sentence as the doorbell rang, echoing in the halls. "I'll get it," Sakura announced, running to the door. _Who could be out in this downpour?_ She opened the door. "How may I help- Hinata-chan!?"

Sakura drew the drenched Hinata into the dry hallway. "Sakura-chan!" the Hyuuga heiress said, her white eyes wide and panicked, clutching at Sakura's arms. "Someone took Hanabi-chan! All the Hyuuga except Chichiue and I are out on missions to scout for Orochimaru and Chichiue's chasing the men who took her with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun and he asked me to find more help so-"

"Hinata-chan, get a hold of yourself!" Sakura said, trying to soothe her friend and leading her to a bathroom to dry off. "Calm down for a while, and tell us what happened so we can help."

A few minutes later, the somber mood in the room made it feel as though the party hadn't happened. Sakura got Hinata into a warm bathrobe, Kakashi put away the sake, while Sasuke made her a cup of hot tea. Naruto massaged Hinata's back comfortingly; she was too distressed to freak out. "Can you tell us what happened?" Sakura prompted gently.

"Someone kidnapped my little sister," Hinata said shakily. "She was out training in our grounds when I called her for dinner. I only managed a glimpse at the nins running from our compound with her, and I alerted my father. He asked me to call Shino-kun and Kiba-kun at once, and they went to follow the nins. All the other capable Hyuugas are out on scouting missions, so I had no choice to ask for help from other nins. This was the closest place that I knew strong nin lived, so this was the first place I came to." She gave all of them a pleading look. "Please. Please help us."

The team of four looked at each other in askance. "Well… today was supposed to be our day-off…" Sasuke muttered.

"And we'll need the Hokage's permission to act on it," Kakashi added.

"But we _have_ to help Hinata-chan rescue her sister!" Naruto exclaimed. "It'd be wrong for us not to help!"

"Naruto's right," Sakura declared. "Kakashi-sensei, let me call Tsunade-shishou up. We'll get permission right now."

Hinata's eyes welled up into relieved tears, and Naruto's arm was automatically around her. "Thank you," she whispered. Sakura gave her a reassuring smile, her ear pressed to the receiver.

"Tsunade-shishou?" she said. "This is urgent – Hyuuga Hanabi's been kidnapped, according to Hyuuga Hinata, and she's requested that we help her and Hiashi-sama get her back. Yes. Right now, preferrab- what? But shishou, Hanabi's life is in danger. I know it's raining, but- yes, Hiashi-sama got Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba to accompany him. So? …but shishou! I… all right, fine. I trust your judgment. Yes. Thank you, shishou."

Sakura sighed as she put the receiver down. "What'd she say?" Sasuke asked indifferently, his arms crossed.

"She says we have to wait till morning," Sakura said. Hinata looked panicked instantly. "Tsunade-shishou says that rushing into it won't help any of us. And anyway, three recon types are in the chase, anyway, so they'll probably meet up with us with a lead." She gave Hinata a comforting smile. "Let's just get some sleep – we have to get up early in the morning. Hinata-chan, come with me – I have some night clothes that you could use."

* * *

Naruto turned the light out in the bathroom, scratching his stomach. What he wouldn't give for everything to be happy and dandy – now all the rest they were supposed to be taking after the rigorous Exams were down the drain. _Well, that's the life of a shinobi,_ he thought resignedly, smiling to himself. 

His blue eyes caught something slouched by the porch. His curiosity piqued, he crept in to investigate and found Hinata, watching the rain fall with a blank look on her face. He reached out to touch her shoulder, and she jumped. "N-n-naruto-kun!" she stammered. "Y-You… you startled me!"

"I'm sorry," he said, an apologetic look spread all over his face. He sat down next to her. "Must be hard, having to wait before you can do anything."

Hinata's eyes were downcast. "Hanabi-chan and I were never close. As soon as she started beating me in our spars, Chichiue began to favor her and began to see me as… well… a failure. It was only three years ago that he gave me more respect, but even then… Hanabi-chan had her priorities, I suppose. I've tried… but I guess it's just not in her nature. But… even so…" She smiled sadly. "She's family."

"Family, huh…" Naruto sighed, gazing at the downpour. "I don't really know how it would feel, losing someone blood-related, thinking that it wouldn't really happen because they've been always there…"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," Hinata apologized softly, her optics troubled. "I didn't think – I mean, I didn't realize that… I might be burdening you with my pro-"

"Nah, it's no trouble," Naruto replied, waving it off. "I chose to listen to you. You can talk to me any time. Besides, I guess, what you might be feeling right now is probably like how I felt when Sasuke… well, you know. I can relate." He stifled a yawn.

"You should get some sleep," Hinata murmured. "You don't have to stay awake for my sake."

"Well, you should sleep too," Naruto said. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

"I… can't sleep. I keep thinking of what could be happening to Hanabi-chan, and…"

"Think of other things," Naruto suggested. "It'll help. And I'll keep you company till you feel sleepy."

Hinata stared at Naruto, who grinned down at her. Her gaze softened. "Oh, Naruto-kun, thank you so much."

The two settled closer, keeping each other warm from the rain. "So, Hinata-chan," the blond said. "Tell me what you've been up to when I left for a while…"

* * *

As soon as Sasuke's eyes were open, he was instantly alert. "Mission," he muttered to himself, glancing at his watch, which read four-thirty. The rain had long since stopped. "Just in time." He got up to get himself some breakfast. 

As he walked to the kitchen, he found two bodies by the porch. Upon closer inspection, he found that it was Hinata snuggled into Naruto's chest, while the cerulean eyed teen snored loudly against the wall, his arm around the Hyuuga girl's waist. Sasuke couldn't help but smile wryly at the oblivious pair.

"Morning," Sakura mumbled, slouching into view. "Wuzzat?" She peered from behind Sasuke. "Is that… Naruto and Hinata-chan?"

"No, its two lumps of wood," Sasuke said sarcastically.

"They sure sleep like that," Sakura giggled quietly. "It's so cute." Sasuke merely snorted and poked Naruto's head with his toe. "Don't wake them up!"

"We've got a mission," Sasuke said shortly. "We can't afford to be late just because these two are all over each other. Oi, freakin' idiot, get up."

"Gnnmrphmble," Naruto groaned. He blinked himself awake. "Hn, what's this?"

"Mmmmnnn…" Hinata murmured, stirring and feeling warmth under her head. "Huh…?"

Sasuke and Sakura watched in amusement as the two got their bearings and realized what was happening. Pearl orbs and sapphire optics met for a brief moment. It took a few more moments for Naruto to realize he had a hand on Hinata's waist, and she had hers on his chest.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

Hinata's face was still steaming red as she patted her clothes, now dried out, feeling like they needed ventilation. Naruto, on the other hand, had unzipped his jacket as he experienced the same problem. They avoided each other's eye as Kakashi glanced at them all. "Let's go," he said. 

This was enough to put all of them into focus. Sasuke strapped his new sword to his back and adjusted his arm-guards, Sakura wore her gloves, Naruto gave his hitai-ate one last tug, and Hinata turned her Byakuugan on. And they were off.

As the sped out of the village, Hinata found several subtle signs Hiashi left for them. "Follow me," she told Team Kakashi. "Chichiue's marked out a path for me to follow." The group traveled for a while in silence, Hinata following Hiashi's trail, while the rest of them followed her lead. Sakura, who came directly behind her, tried to catch a glimpse of the heiress's face – the medic nin couldn't help but be concerned by for her friend's emotional stability. Unfortunately, it was Hinata and not her who had the Byakuugan.

Twenty minutes or so on the journey, Hinata said, "They're nearby – I can see them about three kilometers from here." Then her eyes widened in apprehension. "We have to hurry," she added urgently. "They look like they're badly hurt!"

Sure enough, they found Hyuuga Hiashi tying a bandage around his arm, while Shino lay on the ground, unmoving. Beside him, Akamaru was bleeding freely on his paw, while Kiba gingerly touched his abdomen, wincing. "Looks like we just missed them," Naruto muttered. Sasuke nodded curtly. Sakura rushed to Shino to check on him.

"I'm all right, Sakura-san – just tired," Shino said, and Sakura jumped away; she had thought he was unconscious. "It's Hiashi-dono who's badly hurt."

"Chichiue!" Hinata exclaimed as she examined her father's wound. "Your wound looks…"

"Let me heal that, Hyuuga-dono," Sakura offered, kneeling beside the Hyuuga patriarch.

"Just close it, Haruno," Hiashi said curtly. "The only medic in the group mustn't expend too much chakra with just one person's injuries." Sakura bit her lip, but knew she couldn't disagree.

"Chichiue, what happened?" Hinata asked concernedly. "Did you face the leader?"

"Yes," Hiashi said as the rest of the group gathered around him. "He's dangerous. He calls himself the _Kekkei Genkai Shushuka_."

"The Bloodline Collector?" Kakashi repeated as Sakura finished up with Hiashi, moving on to Kiba's broken rib.

"That sounds really, _really_ nasty," Naruto commented, shuddering slightly.

"Well, we now know why he took Hanabi," Sasuke observed dryly.

"It seems he transplants bloodlines into his body," the Hyuuga patriarch explained tonelessly. Sakura shuddered visibly as she healed Kiba's rib. Hinata gasped, while Naruto swallowed, a green tinge on his face.

"Or if not," Shino piped up, "he alters his DNA structure to absorb the bloodlines. That's what he said, as I recall."

"Sounds less nastier than transplanting," Sasuke muttered.

"But it's so… so… disgustingly unnatural!" Sakura exclaimed.

_Oh gee, that boosts my self-esteem so much,_ Kakashi said to himself, rubbing the spot on his mask under which the Sharingan lay.

"So he's planning to, uh, transplant Hanabi's eyes to his own eye sockets," Naruto said. "We're not going to let him do that disgusting thing, right?!"

"What are the bloodlines he's used so far?" Kakashi asked.

"He can extract his bones from his body," Kiba offered. "Nearly staked me with it. That's where Hiashi-dono's wound came from," he added, nodding in Hiashi's direction.

"That sounds a lot like Kimimaro from three years back, when we were retrieving Sasuke," Naruto said.

"Did he come from a clan?" Sakura asked as she healed Akamaru's paw.

"Eh, I didn't fight him long enough to know."

"Is there any way this guy can be beaten?" Sasuke asked.

"I noticed that he expends a lot of chakra when he uses his transplanted bloodlines," Hiashi said. "It puts a lot of stress on his body."

"Then it'll be easy to defeat him!" Naruto exclaimed. "There's nine of us and only one of him!"

"Not quite," Shino said. "He has henchmen, and a hostage. That's why we didn't get Hanabi right away – he let half of them move on to their hideout while he and the rest of his henchmen were left with us to deal with. The henchmen are easy enough to deal with. It's he who's really dangerous."

"Then we've got no time to waste," Hinata said quietly as Sakura finished healing Akamaru. "Hanabi-chan's life is in terrible danger."

Hiashi let his gaze rest on Hinata before looking far ahead as they began their track-down. _Hm. Glad to see she's finally taking charge of a situation. Thought I'd never see the day. Perhaps… I just never noticed before._

* * *

"When I get home," Tenten announced as she and Neji walked the hall to the Hokage's office, "I'm getting into my street clothes and going shopping for new weapons!" She grinned at her partner. "Coming, Neji?" 

"No thanks," Neji declined. "I'm due for training with Hiashi-sama and Hinata-sama this afternoon. I have more than energy to expend, thankfully."

"Yeah, well," Tenten said nonchalantly as Neji opened the door to the office. "A scouting mission isn't too strenuous, after all."

"Neji, Tenten," Tsunade called as the approached her desk. "Report."

"We found some week-old signs that Orochimaru left," Neji said. "There are no signs that he has been around more recently."

"But we only searched the first perimeter like you requested, Hokage-sama," Tenten added. "The other Hyuugas may have found other signs further from the first perimeter."

"All right," Tsunade acquiesced. "Good work, both of you." She glanced at Neji. "As for you… I have some news concerning your clan." Neji and Tenten glanced at each other, then waited for Tsunade to continue. "Your cousin, Hanabi, has been kidnapped." Neji's heart skipped a beat, and he clenched his fist. "Your uncle, Hiashi-dono, and your clan's heiress, Hinata, have gone after the perpetrators with Team Kakashi, and Hinata's two teammates."

Neji recovered from his shock quickly and immediately spoke up. "I request permission to move out after them, Hokage-sama."

"Permission denied."

"But Hokage-sama!" Neji protested. 'It's my duty to my clan!"

"There won't be enough nins left in Konoha if you left with a team," Tsunade said sternly. "And even if you left by yourself, it would be too dangerous – these people seem to know how to get around the Hyuuga's defenses."

"I'll be all right with just Tenten," Neji replied curtly. "She's been in my team for a long time, and we work together well. Please, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade held Neji's determined gaze for a while, then sighed. "I suppose you'll go even if I said no." She glared at the two of them. "Get back here in one piece as quickly as you can."

"Understood, Hokage-sama." With that final note, they went out of the village to follow Hiashi's party.

* * *

"Looks like they entered some kind of cave," Hinata observed with her Byakuugan. They had traveled for about another hour until they arrived at the base of a mountain just at the border of Fire Country. "I can sense about… fifty to sixty guards at the entrance and the first kilometer perimeter of the cave." She glanced at her teammates. "Do we have a plan?" 

Hinata had never looked so determined and focused in a long while. _It's as if she hadn't been crying just last night._ Sasuke observed. _This must mean so much to her. I should know._

"We'll split up in teams," Hiashi announced. "Aburame and Hatake hold the first kilometer perimeter, wherein they will make sure all the guards are knocked out, so that there will be less problems going out. While they do this, the rest of us will enter quietly. Then Uchiha and Haruno will come with me to find the Shushuka. Uzumaki, Inuzuka, and Hinata will locate Hanabi and bring her to safety. Agreed?"

Everyone nodded. Shino and Kakashi agreed to meet up with Hiashi's group after disabling all the guards. "We'll see you," Kakashi said, saluting the rest of them. He and Shino leapt out of the foliage they were hiding in and began knocking the guards out one by one. Shino absorbed the chakra of the guards with his bugs while Kakashi gave the others a swift hand to the base of the neck. As soon as the entrance was clear, he wave the rest in.

Kakashi and Shino were left behind to deal with the other guards, and soon, they were drawing attention to themselves, leaving the others free of obstacles as they followed the path towards rescuing Hanabi. Soon enough, they reached the first fork of the cave's elaborate labyrinth. "We'll take one path, you take the other," Hiashi instructed Hinata. "I can sense Hanabi at the west fork."

"Understood, Chichiue," she said, beckoning Kiba and Naruto to her. "We'll find Hanabi in no time."

As the made to move out to the west, Hiashi called, "Uzumaki. Come here for a second."

Naruto, puzzled, scratched his head as he walked quickly up to the patriarch of the most influential clan in Konoha. "What is it, sir?" he asked. Hinata watched uncomfortably from afar.

Hiashi pulled Naruto closer by his collar and hissed into his ear, "If my daughters get hurt and I find out that it was your bungling that did so, your life is going to become _very_ miserable, do you hear me?"

Naruto gulped. "Y-Yes sir," he mumbled. _Why couldn't you tell Kiba that too?!_ he cried in his head at the utter injustice of it all.

Hiashi smirked. "I commend the heiress of my clan's well-being to you, as well as Hanabi's," he said quietly. "I hope you don't disappoint me." With that, he led Sasuke and Sakura into the darkness.

* * *

_That old man_, Naruto said to himself, feeling both embarrassed and intimidated. _Why does he think I'll ever let any of my teammates get hurt – especially Hinata-chan? He seriously doesn't trust me._

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked shyly, looking oddly flushed. "I hope Chichiue didn't make you too uncomfortable."

It seemed he had to lie for Hinata's benefit. "N-not at all!" he said loudly. "He didn't intimidate me or anything! Ahahahaha!"

Kiba snickered. "Oh, come on, Naruto. You looked like you were about to faint!"

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata chided.

"Why you-" Naruto began angrily.

"Ssshhh!" Kiba said suddenly, throwing an arm back to stop the group. "Hinata, can you see? 'Coz I smell her."

Hinata let her Byakuugan scan further into the cave. "Yes, I see her. She's in some sort of operation room guarded by five nins. Judging from their stance, they're supposed to be on high alert – they must already know there are intruders. We're going to have to proceed with stealth."

They walked in silence, Hinata's Byakuugan guiding them. Finally, they entered the vicinity wherein the room was located. They put three of the guard nins stationed outside the room to sleep, and performed a Henge to look like them. Akamaru and Naruto rolled the guard nins' bodies behind a large stalagmite. "Watch them, Akamaru," Kiba said from behind his guard nin mask. The dog nodded in return.

The three walked into the operation room, and Hinata was relieved to see that though Hanabi was heavily sedated, nothing had happened yet. _Thank goodness,_ she thought in relief. She and Naruto began carrying Hanabi out of the room.

"Oi, what are you doing?" one of the two other guard nins asked.

This was Naruto's cue. "We're transferring the Hyuuga kid to the bigger operation room," he lied. "The boss is giving you a five minute coffee break. You're dead if you're not in the other room by then." He beckoned to Hinata and Kiba. "C'mon, fellas. Let's move the kid so the operation can begin."

They transferred Hanabi to a stretcher while the guard nins went out of the other door, complaining, "Geez, the boss sure is mean! Five minutes? How the hell can anyone make and drink coffee in five minutes?"

"And I don't even know where the other operation room is!" the other nin added.

The two of them stopped walking and looked at each other. "Wait a minute."

"There's no _other_ operation room!" the first one yelled. "Those guys are the intruders!"

"We're busted," Kiba said simply as the nins began running in their direction. "Akamaru, let's go!"

Akamaru bounded up to them, and Naruto took Hanabi into his arms. They began running ahead, almost not minding where they were running to – the labyrinth was already taking its toll on them.

"I see flowing water!" Hinata informed them. "We can follow it out of the cave!"

They quickly turned to the direction of the water, but Kiba noticed something amiss. "Wait – I don't hear them chasing us."

"Just keep running!" Naruto exclaimed, clutching Hanabi tighter as she started slipping from his grasp.

Soon enough, they could see the glimmering waters of the underground river Hinata had seen. The hall they were running in opened into a large cave dome, and the river rushed down towards a…

"Waterfall," Naruto muttered. "Perfect."

"I know something that'll make it even better," Kiba mumbled, nodding towards the upstream direction. There stood about twenty henchmen, ready to attack. "Guess we have to battle it out," he added, and Akamaru barked in agreement.

"We have to get Hanabi-chan out of here," Hinata said with urgency. "She'll get caught in the crossfire."

"All right," Naruto replied. "I'll come with you. Oi, Kiba, you'll be all right with five of my bunshin, right?"

"That's more than enough," Kiba said, readying himself for battle. Five Narutos appeared beside him. Hinata and Naruto, meanwhile, focused chakra to their feet and began sprinting on water.

"Naruto! Hinata!" Kiba suddenly yelled. "Look out!"

Naruto and Hinata turned just in time to see one of the nins detonate a bomb in the water, creating a huge tidal wave in the river, threatening to engulf the three of them.

* * *

"Is he close, Hiashi-dono?" Sakura asked as they moved quickly in the wide cave path, past stalactites and stalagmites, following Hiashi's lead. 

"His presence is strong in these caves," the Hyuuga said, "but it's getting subtly stronger as we go further."

"I don't know about that," Sasuke said skeptically.

"Do you doubt my judgment, Uchiha?" Hiashi asked sternly.

"I've been feeling a presence around us for a while now," Sasuke said. "Sometimes fainter, sometimes stronger, but it's there."

Hiashi nodded to him, and the two men turned their bloodlines on. Sasuke looked around for a cloaking technique, while Hiashi narrowed his eyes at a single stalactite – a large one, protruding from the veiling. He glanced at Sakura, signaling that it was her turn. The kunoichi adjusted her gloves and aimed it at the stalactite. She jumped up and punched through it.

To her utter shock, she phased through the stalactite without so much as scratching it, and her fist made contact with the cave floor instead. The cave quaked, and from the inside of the stalactite fell, or rather, phased out, a man.

He was a tall and thin man, cloaked from shoulder to foot. His eyes were narrowed into malicious slits, and he wore a smile on his face. "Oh, Hyuuga Hiashi, it seems we meet again," he said in an unctuous tone.

"It was a bloodline, wasn't it?" Sasuke asked tonelessly. "I couldn't copy it."

"The Shushuka, at your service," the cloaked man said, bowing to the two clan leaders. "Yes, it's a bloodline, but nothing as exquisite as your Sharingan, Uchiha-sama."

From behind the Shushuka, Sakura focused her chakra into her fist again and aimed for him once more. To her frustration, as her punch was making contact with his body, he activated the bloodline again, making her phase through his body. Unable to redirect her attack, her fist landed on the cave floor again, making it quake throughout the cave walls.

"I must advise that you not do that, miss," the Shushuka said amiably. "We're underground after all, and we could get buried in the rubble. Or rather, _you_ will be, because I can phase out with my favorite bloodline, Ikiteiru Yuurei (1), of the Raiha clan. It allows me to phase through any matter, and make anything I touch phase with me." He smiled almost pleasantly. "But I think that the Byakuugan will become the prize of my collection once I'm through with little Hanabi."

Hiashi's eyes narrowed menacingly. "Do you think I will allow you to do so?"

"I doubt that you will," the Shushuka replied, "which is why I have a proposal."

"I would shame my clan should I make deals with the likes of you," Hiashi said quietly. Sasuke and Sakura watched him – they would not act unless he told them to. It was his call.

The Hyuuga analyzed the situation quickly. The Ikiteiru Yuurei would allow the Shushuka to dodge any attack, but it would consume more chakra than usual with each use. _Each time he uses that technique, I notice that he takes up about 3 per cent of his chakra, which is a lot, considering he uses this technique the most often. We don't know about his other skills yet, but I assume that if he keeps dodging with such a jutsu, he'll consume more than enough._

"Uchiha," Hiashi grunted by way of command. Sasuke nodded and stepped up, unsheathing his sword. "Do your thing."

Sasuke focused his chakra onto his feet, and took two slow, skipping steps. Then he vanished from sight, only his quick lightning steps giving his location away. The Shushuka looked around to see from where Sasuke would attack.

Sasuke's first strike came from the Shushuka's left. He let the Uchiha phase through, but as he began to get his body structure back, assuming Sasuke wouldn't be giving a second strike, Sasuke pivoted in a split second and slashed at his arm, creating a long gash. _It seems there's an interval of time in which I can attack without him being able to dodge_, Sasuke though, rolling away. _And it seems only one with my speed can do this._

The Uchiha disappeared again, his feet creating a quick _clackity-clack_ sound against the cave floor. He appeared in front of the Shushuka, feigned a slash with his sword, which of course phased through the Shushuka's body, and Sasuke followed through with a roundhouse kick.

He was rudely surprised when his foot struck sharp bone, slicing through his ankle. Sasuke winced and withdrew instantly to Sakura, who healed him; now that they were underground, her groundbreaking skills were more of a hazard than a help, so this was the only thing she could do.

"My other bloodline," the Shushuka explained as he withdrew the bone, smirking at them, "is Shikotsumyaku (2), derived from the DNA of a person from the Kaguya clan. I'm impressed that Uchiha-sama can move at a speed which can counter my Ikiteiru Yuurei, but I myself have some follow-up jutsus."

"I'll be okay," Sasuke told Sakura as she closed his wound. "Just make it stop bleeding so it won't get in my way."

Sakura acquiesced, and both clan leaders readied themselves for a simultaneous attack. Sasuke disappeared as soon as he took two steps, and Hiashi went forward and used Jyuuken to shut down the Shushuka's system. However, the Shushuka had created bone armor around himself, compact enough to prevent any of Hiashi's attacks to create any real damage. As the two men engaged in the taijutsu battle, Sasuke chose that time to reappear behind the Shushuka and slash his back.

The attack was effective – Sasuke's new Kusanagi broke through the bone and created another gash, this time across the Shushuka's back. However, he was still quick with the follow-up attack as he elongated a bone from his back to stab through Sasuke. Fortunately for the Uchiha, the Shushuka's aim was off, and instead of the bone staking him through, only created a gash at Sasuke's side.

_The Kusanagi can break through the bone,_ Sakura realized, _and looks like the Shushuka can't use two bloodlines at once so easily. So unless he has others, we could actually win Hanabi back._

The battle went on, and it was proving to be harder than ever as the Shushuka continued to evade their attacks, or else guard himself from them, even if just barely. Sasuke and Hiashi, however, had several gashes and cuts courtesy of the bones the Shushuka was using. _I want to use my new Chidori technique,_ Sasuke thought, _but I haven't practiced it with a sword. I'm still getting used to attacking with a sword, after all. Dammit._

Hiashi had more optimistic thoughts, on the other hand. _Looks like we're wearing him out._ _His attacks have become slower than before. I hardly scratched the surface when I fought him the other time, then. I suppose Uchiha Sasuke is more powerful than he takes credit for._

"Enough," the white-eyed nin told the Shushuka, withdrawing his Byakuugan. Sasuke retreated to their side of the cave. "Tell me where my daughter is, and we'll leave without furthering our attacks. We'll let you and your men live another day until Konoha decides to smoke you out of this cave."

The Shushuka stared at them with blank eyes, as though debating quietly with himself. Then he smiled slowly, malevolently. "I don't think so."

It was then that Hiashi, Sasuke, and Sakura felt more presences approaching them. To their horror, several of the Shushuka's henchmen arrived with Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, and Naruto all bound and gagged, squirming to get away. The unconscious Hanabi was also brought with them, though not bound and gagged. "Looks like you had some underhanded scheme to take little Hanabi away from me," the Shushuka said amusedly, slits glinting. "It didn't work, fortunately. So what are you going to do now, _Chichiue_? Both your daughters are here with me, along with your subordinates. What to do, what to do?"

Hiashi could feel defeat emanating from the situation, no matter how he looked at it. Perhaps he could still save them. Sakura and Sasuke looked at him in askance, waiting for him to tell them what to do. "I see where this is going," the Hyuuga patriarch said at last. The teens exchanged confused looks. "I… offer myself in exchange for all of them."

Hinata's eyes widened, and she began shaking her head frantically. Kiba and Naruto protested noisily against their gags, struggling to get out of the ropes. "Hiashi-dono-" Sakura began to protest.

"Be still, all of you," Hiashi commanded, stepping forward. "Untie them all and I'll go in-"

"No," another voice echoed in the halls. "_I_ will go in their place."

"But Neji…" a feminine voice protested.

Everyone turned to see the Hyuuga prodigy standing behind Hiashi, along with the weapons mistress. "You found us," Hiashi said, waiting for an explanation from his nephew.

Neji smirked. "The Byakuugan knows no bounds," he replied. "Now. Like I said. Let them all go in exchange of me. You can have my superior Byakuugan."

"Neji-" Hiashi started.

"Hiashi-sama, please," Neji said, meeting his uncle's eyes. "It is my duty as a _lower class_ member of your clan." He pointed to his forehead for emphasis.

The Shushuka grinned widely. "Ah, Hyuuga Neji. I couldn't hope for a better exchange! I've heard of your outstanding skill as the Hyuuga prodigy."

"So do we have a deal?" Neji asked in a business-like voice. "Or do you have more unreasonable demands?"

"I'm afraid I'm not contented with such an exchange," the Shushuka said amiably. "It's also very unreasonable if I should exchange all these resources at hand for just one person."

"What are you saying?" Neji asked suspiciously, his eyes slighting.

"What I am saying," the Shushuka said in his oily manner, "that I'm willing to trade these young people for your Byakuugan… and Uchiha-sama's Sharingan."

It was quiet in the vicinity. Kiba, who had been trying to wriggle his way out, stopped his movement, and even the Shushuka's subordinates had to stop and stare at their leader. Sakura looked at Sasuke worriedly, and she was surprised to see him so calm, not even cracking a smirk to show them that it was something ridiculous to ask for. "You're… you're not considering…?" she whispered in terror. She clutched at his arm. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke sighed. "It can't be helped," he said quietly. "I will go with Neji in exchange for our teammates and Hanabi."

"Sasuke-ku-"

Sakura's eyes widened when Sasuke pulled her into a fierce hug. Tenten stared as Sasuke seemed to whisper something important to Sakura, whose eyes were suddenly filled with tears. She nodded against his shoulder, and they let go. "I'll be fine," he told Sakura. He cocked his head at Neji towards the Shushuka's direction. "Coming, Hyuuga?"

Neji squeezed Tenten's hand and tapped a finger against the back of her palm. The kunoichi understood and let him go. "Be safe," she whispered.

The Shushuka's henchmen led the tied-up Chuunin and carried the unconscious Hanabi towards them, while Hiashi led Neji and Sasuke forward. The exchange, especially, would be a delicate part of the operation. Neji and Sasuke stepped forward and the henchmen went forward to tie them up.

"Thank you for waiting!" a happy voice rang out in the cave.

At almost the same moment, Sasuke yelled, "Sakura, now!"

Several things happened almost simultaneously. Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto disappeared from the ropes with a _poof_; Sakura ran forward and kicked the man holding Hanabi away, grasping the girl safely in her arms; Tenten threw several kunai which easily snapped Sasuke's and Neji's cords, allowing them to knock their guards out; and the real Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto emerged from behind the stalactites and stalagmites they had been hiding behind, knocking away as many guards as they could as they went over to Hiashi's side.

The Shushuka looked as though he was on the verge of going crazy. "You caught Kage Bunshin?!" he screamed at his remaining henchmen.

"We didn't know, boss!" one said. "They looked so convincingly defeated!"

"Did you really think we would be defeated by that wave?" Naruto asked haughtily. "Hinata-chan's amazing, after all. You're dealing with the Hyuuga heiress and the future Hokage here! Of course we wouldn't lose to the likes of you!"

(In the background, Kiba mumbled, "And what am I? Fish guts?")

_The wave loomed dangerously over them, and there was no time to dodge it. "Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled, almost panicking._

_Hinata kept her cool and breathed slowly. She began sending chakra onto her arms, which she then began moving around and around, creating a huge chakra shield around her and them. "Shugohakke: Rokujuu Yonshou!"_

_She gave her last strong strokes, and the water scattered around the cave, effectively diverting the wave from them. The guard nins watched, looking stunned. But there was no time for standing around. Hinata and Naruto began running downstream, but more and more henchmen began emerging from the smaller cave openings around them. "We're surrounded," Naruto said. "We're going to have to fight them off."_

"_What about Hanabi-chan?" Hinata asked worriedly._

"_Don't worry," Naruto said, grinning mischievously. "I'm going to think of something. Now. Let's get wild!"_

"So we fought those nins off, but we ran the risk of hurting Hanabi-chan in the process," Hinata explained. "Naruto made bunshin that looked like us and made it look as if we had been defeated, while we hid. We let Hanabi get recaptured for a while, but we followed behind them."

"But unfortunately," Kiba continued, "Naruto got us lost even with Hinata's Byakuugan, and we had a hard time retracing our steps. That's why we didn't arrive soon."

"I noticed that they had arrived as soon as Neji offered to go," Sasuke said, "and I gave Sakura instructions to rescue Hanabi, knowing that Naruto would probably go and attack." He muttered to Sakura under his breath, "Though I think you took the act a bit too far with your crying." She puffed her cheeks out in embarrassment.

"I noticed as well," Neji added. "I warned Tenten about it and she was on standby to free us from our binds." Hiashi looked greatly impressed.

The Shushuka looked electrified, but then he began to laugh dementedly. The other people in the place began to feel perturbed. "You outsmarted me, didn't you, you Konoha lackeys!?" he exclaimed, his eyes wild. "You got away with it, didn't you?"

Hiashi smirked. "Deal's off," he said simply. "I'll leave the Hokage to decide whether she wants to smoke you out of the mountains or not. Let's go back, everyone – Hatake and Aburame are waiting for us in the entrance."

"Are you sure we ought to leave him alone?" Neji asked.

"A wise man should know when he's defeated," Hiashi responded as made their way out of the cave. "A pathetic man would believe otherwise."

"And I know I'm not," the Shushuka said, grinning manically. The three Hyuugas activated their bloodlines to see what he was going to do from behind.

Hinata detected a wave of chakra building up around the Shushuka's lungs. He took a deep breath, then released purple fumes from his mouth. All the nins then held their breath. Neji, who now carried Hanabi, covered her mouth and nose. "How are you going to get out of this fix now!?" the Shushuka yelled triumphantly, clearly immune to the fumes. "There's no ventilation here whatsoever! You're going to die, and I'm going to experiment on all your corpses! Bet you weren't expecting my third bloodline – Ayashi Kiri (3) of the Kouga clan!"

Sakura began to think quickly as everyone began losing their breaths. She beckoned everyone to follow her where the fumes covered the least area, and when everyone was there, she threw three explosive tags at a rock that seemed to act as a post to the ceiling, and detonated it.

Rocks began falling from above that point, and began forming a wall between them and the part of the cave concentrated with fumes. The fumes were still seeping through the cracks in the rocks, and Neji signaled all of them to run as quickly as possible – the explosion seemed to have triggered a cave-in, as seen from the pieces of the ceiling falling every now and then. The wall had also separated them from the Shushuka, but they didn't stop to think of what had happened to him.

Kakashi and Shino met them halfway out of the cave, where they were sure they could start breathing again. "Sakura detonated an explosive tag," Kiba said between huge gulps of air. "This place is going to collapse!"

True enough, the cave's ceiling seemed closer than before. "Ruuuuun!" Sakura screamed, and they all rushed towards the entrance and into the light.

Everyone jumped out of the cave just as it crumbled down. Shino, who was the last one out, rolled to safety just as the cave's entry gave way. "That – was – too – close – for – comfort," Naruto said, plopping flat on the ground.

"Sorry…" Sakura breathed. "I couldn't think of anything else to do…"

"You did well," Sasuke said, giving her a small smile in the midst of his ragged panting. She gave her own smile in like.

Hiashi looked at all of them wonderingly. The situation had been intense and delicate, but they had responded with great precision and quick thinking that impressed him greatly. He especially admired his daughter's apparent aptitude at her original ninjutsu and his nephew's observation skills even without the Byakuugan. He had even managed to find them without being told the location, a feat in itself. _Perhaps it really is time for their generation to take over._

The chaos had woken Hanabi up from her sedative-induced sleep in Neji's arms. "Chichiue?" she murmured, her voice wavering. "I'm numb."

"You're safe now, my daughter," Hiashi said, smiling gently at his youngest daughter. Hinata gave her a relieved smile, her lavender-white eyes brimming with happy tears. "Your sister and cousin did a wonderful job in saving you."

"Hinata-neesama… saved me?" Hanabi asked, her voice softly incredulous and her brow furrowed in disbelief. "And… Neji-niisan too?"

"You don't believe your own sister could do something like that?" Neji asked. "Or even me?"

"Well, Neji-niisan, for sure," Hanabi replied. "But Hinata-neesama?"

"You'd be surprised at how skilled your sister is," Hiashi said firmly. Hanabi looked dazedly surprised. The Hyuuga clan leader put a hand on Hinata's head proudly. "As expected of the heiress to the Hyuuga clan." Hinata blushed, unused to the attention.

It seemed that everything was over.

_Schlack!_

It was so quick that no one even saw it coming, with their defenses lowered after the dangers they had run. From beneath the earth, the Shushuka had phased out quickly, then drove his bone sword through Hiashi's heart.

The immediate response of the group was so quick and angry that the Shushuka never had the time to dodge or phase through it. Kiba clawed his face, while Naruto punched him repeatedly in rage. But the most effective attack came from Neji: he closed all the chakra paths in the Shushuka's body. The last attack came from the wildly crying Hinata – she gathered chakra into her hand and pushed it against the Shushuka's heart. He coughed blood out, and collapsed, half-dead.

Hinata positioned herself to drive another strike through his heart in angry tears. She drove her palm to give the killing blow.

Naruto, however, held her wrist back. "Let me kill him!" Hinata screeched, quite unlike her quiet, demure self.

"Hinata-chan, get a hold of yourself!" Naruto yelled. "You have to be with your father! He wouldn't want you to kill dishonorably!"

Her furious features crumpled, and she burst into more tears. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," she whimpered softly, and rushed to her father's side. Kakashi took over and tied him up, knowing he probably couldn't escape anymore.

"Chichiue!" Hanabi shrieked as Sakura desperately tried to heal the Hyuuga patriarach's deep wound. However, the bone sword had driven straight into his chest, and he was beyond healing. "Chichiue, don't!"

"It's my fault," Neji muttered through gritted teeth, roughly wiping his own tears away. "I… I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to protect him."

"No…" Hiashi rasped. "Wasn't… your… fault…"

"Hiashi-dono!" Sakura cried frantically. "Please don't strain yourself anymore – just stay awake! I'm doing everything I can!" Hiashi gave her a look that clearly said her efforts were in vain. Sakura's eyes were beseeching, but she understood. "That's… an order, isn't it, sir?" she asked with a sad smile, and he gave her another glare. She backed away, sinking herself against Sasuke's comforting hold, not bothering to hold back her tears anymore.

"Neji…" Hiashi whispered. "My daughters… watch…"

"Y-yes, Hiashi-sama," Neji said, trying not to let his voice quiver. Tenten gave his hand a comforting squeeze.

"Ha…nabi…" Hiashi continued softly, "…help… sister…"

"Chichiue…" Hanabi murmured, her tears clear in her voice. "I'll… try."

"Hina… ta…"

"Yes, Chichiue?" Hinata asked faintly through the shaking of her voice.

"What… ever… makes you… happy…"

Hinata felt surprise in the muddle of her emotions, just as everyone else. She had thought he would tell her to lead the clan as he had, or better, or something of the sort. _Chichiue cares for me, after all._ "Nothing would make me happier than honoring my cla- no, my family," she said firmly, the resolve clear in her tear-filled eyes.

Hiashi smiled faintly at her, then directed his stern glare at Naruto, who knelt beside Hinata, supporting her shoulders. "Yes, sir?" he asked.

Hiashi pointed two of his fingers at his cloudy Hyuuga eyes, then pointed them at Naruto. Then he pointedly let his eyes rest on Hinata before directing it back to Naruto. The blond gulped and grinned reassuringly. "Ossu," he said quietly, saluting the patriarch of the greatest clan of Konoha.

He could rest knowing that he could leave his clan in capable hands, and those capable hands would be supported by people inside and outside the clan. _My only regret is giving up on Hinata just as she began blossoming into a great kunoichi. But I see now… she'll become greater than I hoped or believed._

He closed his eyes.

* * *

Hiashi's funeral was probably one of the most attended in Konoha's history, right after the funerals of the four preceeding Hokage themselves. All of Konoha, and even those from outside the village paid their respects to the father of the most influential and powerful clans in Konoha. 

Tsunade and several village elders conducted a eulogy during the funeral, but Hinata could hardly listen as she held her sister's hand while she cried uncontrollably. All she could think of as they made arrangements for her father's funeral was the fact that she had finally earned her father's respect and learned of his love and concern for her. As sad and frightened of the looming future as she was, she was heartened by his acceptance of her.

But she knew her ability, and through the entire week before the funeral, she had been thinking if she was truly capable of leading the clan. She had been groomed for the role in the past years, but her quiet, submissive nature seemed to hold too much power over her personality that it could affect her performance as the clan's leader.

There were so many changes she wanted to make in their clan, and she was afraid that no one would accept her reasoning. She knew she would have to be firm, but she felt so uncertain. As of that moment, she knew she had to decide what she had to do before the banquet honoring Hiashi's death and instating her as the official leader of the Hyuuga clan.

The banquet was held at early evening, a few hours after the funeral. Team Kakashi, as well as Kiba, Shino, and Tenten, being part of the team who rescued Hanabi, were present as honored guests. Everyone was dressed in formal kimono in honor of the occasion.

Hinata, who was seated between Hanabi and Neji, raised her hand for silence. The room fell into a hush. "Thank you," she said, quietly but firmly. She raised her sake saucer, and the room followed suit. "To Hyuuga Hiashi, beloved leader and father." She lowered her hand and sipped her sake.

"To Hyuuga Hiashi," the room murmured, and tossed the sake into their mouths.

"I… have an announcement to make," Hinata said, and everyone looked at her. She glanced at Neji and Hanabi for reassurance, and they nodded. They had talked long about what she would have to say in front of the adults of the Hyuuga clan.

"As leader of the Hyuuga clan," the midnight haired girl announced, "I first want to know if everyone of you will stand by my decisions as clan leader."

The Hyuuga murmured their assent.

"Thank you," she said. Hanabi squeezed her hand – now would come the hard part. "I want to address the problems that our clan has been facing as of late. I see that some of you are unaware of the problems I am talking about." Her smile was wise. "It is a problem that I have seen and experienced firsthand, and I would rather that no one suffer from it as I have. What I am talking about is our clan's apparent disunity, which stems from the superiority complex of the Main House and the inferiority complex of the Branch House, which of course stem from our lack of equality of statuses."

The room was already buzzing with comments, but fell quiet when Hinata raised her hand again. "Hanabi and Neji-niisan, as the two closest to me, have agreed with me that we must stop the problem at the very source, which is…" she let her eyes sweep over the room, "the establishment of a Branch and Main House, and the implementation of the Curse Seals on the foreheads of the Branch House members."

"Are you saying you plan to stop this?" one Hyuuga asked incredulously. "This is _protection_ of our clan!"

"And it is destroying our clan from the inside," Hinata said sternly, the strictest anyone had heard her. "It causes rifts and conflicts inside the clan. I know – I have been part of such a conflict, though I'm lucky it has been solved. I do think that everyone else should be spared that experience. It was horrible, it was painful, it was hard, for both parties. I would rather that we are destroyed by threats from outside the clan than have it break apart from the inside, which only means one thing – the destruction would have been brought upon ourselves, and we have only ourselves to blame. Do you want that reputation for the Hyuuga?"

The adults were talking among themselves. "No, we wouldn't want that," was the most common reply.

"I know that I won't be able to convince all of you," Hinata continued, "but I do know that all of us want to work for the greater good of the clan. As your leader, I believe that this is the best thing to do, and I believe that we can work it all out. The Hyuuga council will ultimately decide everything, but I propose that we forbid the use of the Curse Seals on all forthcoming Branch members, and that we find a means to remove the Curse Seals from all the Branch members. Our goal is the dissolution of the segregation within the clan." She smiled gently. "We are, after all, more than a clan. We are a _family._"

At her last sentence, the room fell into deep silence. "I think you nailed them," Hanabi whispered.

"Wow, Hinata-chan can be so charismatic when she wants to be," Sakura whispered to Naruto, who agreed wholeheartedly.

"Now, for my other bombshell," Hinata continued cheerfully.

"There's more?" whispered one Hyuuga to another.

"Unfortunately so," Hinata said. "I, Hyuuga Hinata, step down from my position as Hyuuga clan leader."

The silent room gradually fell into an uproar. "This is preposterous, Hinata-sama!" one elder exclaimed. "You cannot forgo your duty!"

"I know my duties," Hinata said, "and one is service to my clan. I would like to serve, but in other means. I know my limitations – the little charisma that I have isn't enough to inspire all of you to follow me. It's not my nature. I prefer to work in the background, but that won't mean that my role would be any less important. I cannot run this clan, but I can help in how it is run."

"And have you thought of a replacement?" another Hyuuga elder asked.

"I've had one in mind for many years," Hinata said. "I've always thought that he would be more capable, and in the moments where I felt I wouldn't be able to take on this huge responsibility, he was the first to come to mind whenever I asked myself who I would prefer to be in my place." She glanced at Neji. "Hyuuga Neji, I think, has the most potential to become the clan leader. He has prodigious skill that far outmatches anyone's in this clan, and he has the leadership ability that contributes to the fact that he is already a jounin leader at his young age. I have no doubt that he will lead our clan to greater and better pastures."

"He's a Branch member!" one protested. "He may be prodigious as you say, but-"

"If you have other candidates for the leadership of our clan," Hinata interrupted lightly, "I would be honored to hear from you now."

The Hyuuga member who had spoken up opened his mouth, but no words came out. He finally closed his mouth and gave up. He bowed his head humbly. "I leave the decisions to you, Hinata-sama."

"Thank you," Hinata said again. "I propose that I stay on as Neji-niisan's adviser, and I know that the final decision will come from the Hyuuga council. But I do hope that you will take my suggestions seriously and act on them at once." She raised her sake cup again. "But let's leave that for our next council meeting. Now, let's drink to the prosperity of our clan!"

There was applause after this, and the banquet became more in the mood of a party. "You did a good job," Neji told her quietly, giving her a small smile. "Hiashi-sama would have been very proud."

"I'm glad to hear that from you," Hinata replied, giving him a smile of her own.

"Thanks for suggesting me as clan leader, too," Neji said. "We never talked about that."

"I know I made the right choice," Hinata said softly, hugging her cousin. "You'll make a great leader." Neji broke away with a smile, and turned to talk to the other members. Hinata sighed happily. Everything was turning out to be a hopeful start of a new generation of the Hyuuga clan.

She met Naruto's eyes briefly, and he grinned at her, giving her a thumbs-up. Instead of looking away embarrassed as she usually did, she gave him a soft smile of her own. She knew he had vowed to change the Hyuuga clan. He probably had no idea how much he had influenced her and Neji to make all the changes in the Hyuuga that were about to happen in the next few months.

She supposed he would know in good time.

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Naruto:** It's so _hooooooot_. This is what I hate about August. I wonder if we're Chuunin yet – Tsunade-baachan said the results are taking longer than usual to come to Konoha. Maybe there's something wrong, but… nah. Couldn't be.

Well, okay, with our luck, it's possible.

But the Jounin Exams are coming too! How exactly can we take the Jounin Exams without being Chuunin yet? It doesn't make any sense! We _have_ to get our results soon! And when I say soon, I mean soon _soon_.

Next chapter, _Hurry! Chuunin Results and Jounin Exams._

I want to take the Jounin Exams _now._ And when I say now, I mean now _now_.

* * *

**AN: **(1) Living Ghost. Made up.  
(2) Dead Bone Pulse.  
(3) Ominous Mist. Made up. 

See, I told you it reads like a filler episode. I've had this chapter visualized for a long time now, but when it came to writing it, I found that I had to stretch out to my limit.

And when I made Hiashi die, and made Hinata decide all those things for the Hyuuga, I couldn't help but think that I've overstretched my artistic license limit. What do you guys think? I can actually remove this chapter because it doesn't affect my fanfic's canon, but still. I don't want to remove it because I've waited a long time to write it and I worked really really hard for it. But if people hate the chapter, I just might.

Don't be harsh and decide to hate me for life.

Edit: I found that I had so many technical errors in this chapter. Which is funny - I haven't experienced anything of the sort in other chapters.


	20. Hurry! Chuunin Results And Jounin Exams

**AN:** I tried to get this chapter out as fast as I could before April 29, but I couldn't. Oh, well, it actually means more reviews. Speaking of which, I'm incredibly happy that I've finally reached 1000+ reviews! Thank you all! Thanks so much! I'll try to make my updates as fast as I can, even though, you know, I'm going to college and won't have as much time for this.

But whatever. In this chapter, we'll be looking at a **transitional phase** between the Chuunin Exam arc and the Jounin Exam arc. It'll be a bit different compared to my other chapters, particularly because one chapter is going to span a few months. I'm going to introduce some "facts" about the Jounin Exams, but they're entirely made up by me. So don't think they're canon. Nothing is known about whether there is a Jounin Exam at all.

A warning, though, if this be considered as such – the chapter's going to seem as if it's going really fast, but it's really only because there will be lots of things happening, spanning a couple of months. Like I said, it's a transitional phase. It's also a reference chapter for the rules of my very own Jounin Exams. Also, this might be even longer than the last chapter, which was THE longest chapter before this one came along.

As for those people who reviewed… thank you! I know FFNet's mailing system was down on the time I decided to update, but I'm happy so many people found the update anyway. Thanks again!

**Edit:** (5-20-07) Hey all, upon a reviewer's request, I removed the OC I put in here and changed it to a minor canon character. Cheers!

* * *

**Chapter 20: Hurry! Chuunin Results And Jounin Exams

* * *

**

The scorching August sun filtered through the glass windows of the Hokage Tower, and Sakura was thankful that the room she was in was air-conditioned. It was another day of her weekly training with Tsunade, and this time, she was made to study snake poisons and their various antidotes. It was exhilarating for her to pump information into her mind, but she couldn't help but feel that she needed something further in terms of her medical training.

"How are you doing with the black mamba poison, Sakura?" Tsunade asked as she entered the little laboratory that the Tower had for substance research. "Have you figured out the antidote yet?"

Sakura laughed tiredly, wiping her brow. "I'm getting there, Tsunade-shishou," she said. "I'm just figuring out how to counter the unique paralysis enzyme the venom has. It won't take any longer."

"Well, why don't you take a break for now," Tsunade suggested. "I want to tell you something that you might want to know." Sakura obediently abandoned her work to listen to the blonde Hokage. The training would have to wait. "I've just corresponded with the other Kage of the other hidden villages," Tsunade continued as Sakura put her equipment away, "and we've come to a decision about the Jounin Exams."

Sakura's ears perked up in curiosity. "The Jounin Exams?" she asked, her interest piqued. "What about the Jounin Exams?"

"We've agreed it should be held around mid-October, probably on the second week," Tsunade replied, amusedly watching Sakura's jaw drop. "It will be held in the newly recognized shinobi village Hidden Gem of the Mountain Country, which is a bit further south of Konoha. Since it's a new village, we decided it would be put in good relations with other villages if it hosted the Jounin Exams."

"Whoa," Sakura murmured. "I didn't think the Jounin Exams would be held so soon after the Chuunin Exams!"

"It's only held every two years," Tsunade said, "and while the Chuunin Exams are held simultaneously in different villages because host villages only entertain their closest neighbors, the Jounin Exams are held in only one place-"

"-which means the range of competition is wider and therefore harder to beat," Sakura realized, finishing Tsunade's sentence. Her master nodded approvingly at her quick pick-up. "So the Jounin Exams are really more intense."

"Which is appropriate," Tsunade replied, nodding, "particularly because Jounin are expected to be the cream of the crop. Aside from that, it's also a gauge of one country's power, just like the Chuunin Exams, only on a larger scale. Villages at odds with each other may settle it in this event, so expect our known enemies, like the Sound, to try and beat us out. I think it is right to say that the Jounin Exams may be considered as an organized world war between shinobi villages."

"It's held to have good relations, and yet it's a world war," Sakura said dazedly, overwhelmed by the new information. "The world of shinobi sure is complicated." Her eyes refocused and rested on Tsunade. "What are the requirements to take it?"

"Keen on taking it this year, aren't you?" Tsunade asked wryly, and Sakura wrinkled her nose sheepishly. "To tell you the truth, you and your preferred teammates are hardly qualified to take it."

The pink-haired nin's brows furrowed. "What do you mean? Besides Sasuke and Naruto not yet being Chuunin-"

"-you need four in a team, because most high-ranking missions are done in fours," Tsunade said. "Also, each member should have completed at least 7 C-Rank, 4 B-Rank, and 2 A-Rank, as Chuunin." Her gaze on Sakura was shrewd. "I know you've completed the required number of missions as a Chuunin, but even if Sasuke and Naruto are inducted as Chuunin tomorrow it's a pretty tall order for them to have the required number of missions by mid-October."

Sakura looked crestfallen. "It _is_ a tall order, even if we look into certain technicalities," she said, her gaze on her lap. "I suppose we have to focus on Sasuke and Naruto becoming Chuunin first." She frowned again as she met her teacher's eyes. "When _are_ the results of the Exam coming, shishou? It's been about a month since. Shouldn't the results have come?"

"I'm currently looking into it," Tsunade replied. "But until we don't have them, I can't do anything about your qualification as a team for the Jounin Exams." She smiled apologetically. "Why don't you take it with another team, though? There should be a three-man cell that wants to take the Jounin Exams too."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm sure you'd think it was foolish of me, shishou, but I promised Sasuke-kun and Naruto that I'd take it with them."

Tsunade laughed softly. "On contrary, Sakura, it's those kinds of promises that keep a team as good as yours together."

* * *

It was Kakashi who reacted to the news first as they ate dinner. "Don't you think you guys are moving too fast?" he asked reproachfully. "I mean, we don't even know if Sasuke and Naruto even made Chuunin in the first place. It's not yet time for you to be thinking of the Jounin Exams." 

"Eh, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, rubbing his nose, "I bet you just want us to keep being your subordinates, even for a little longer." He grinned. "You can't stand that we're growing up too fast for you."

Naruto, they now realized, could be impeccably honest that it was brutal. Kakashi's lone eye curved up sheepishly. "Well, whether or not you're Chuunin or Jounin, you guys are still junior to me. That's the least of my worries."

"I don't think that's what Naruto meant," Sasuke sighed in a bored manner. He glanced at their teacher shrewdly. "Us growing up only means you growing no younger. Am I right, Kakashi?" Sakura and Naruto burst out laughing, their little table shaking. Kakashi pretended to be hurt.

"You're just not as cute as you once were," he said in mock sadness. "How I miss the days when I could squish you guys like so." He mimed squeezing something in between his index finger and his thumb. Naruto stuck out his tongue, Sakura grimaced, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei's an old man and he can't stand it," the blond of the trio said in a singsong voice.

"I'll have you know I'm hardly 30, thank you very much," Kakashi said, play-acting defensiveness.

Sakura laughed. "But really, Kakashi-sensei. We decided this on our own – taking the Jounin Exam, I mean. You can't really think we're growing up too fast, can you?"

"No, I suppose not," the Copy Ninja replied, a soft sigh escaping him. "Being shinobi, you've had to, especially with all the special attention the village gives you three. Yes, you too, Sakura," he added when Sakura looked skeptical. "Being the Hokage's apprentice, everyone has high expectations for you, as well as Sasuke for being the Uchiha survivor, and Naruto for proclaiming he'll be Hokage, full knowing he has the Kyuubi within him. I would be surprised if you guys decided to slow your pace down, what with all the goals you're aiming for. I don't mean to quote Gai, but you're going to need your youth if you want to achieve those goals."

The three of them stared at him, taking in his words with various depths of understanding. His serious expression quickly became a jovial one. "Of course, nothing of the sort will happen if you boys don't make Chuunin this year," he continued, laughing at Sasuke and Naruto's less-than-happy expressions. "But I'm sure Tsunade-sama will have some kind of update about it soon. We'll just have to wait a bit, that's all."

* * *

The "bit" Kakashi was talking about happened to be just less than a week. A few days after that conversation had taken place at their dinner table, Team Kakashi was called into the Hokage's office for a new mission, though what about, they didn't know. "Do you realize," Sakura said happily as they walked the hall into Tsunade's workplace, "that this will be our first mission as Team Kakashi? Isn't it exciting?" 

"What about when we rescued Hanabi?" Naruto asked. "Isn't that considered a Team Kakashi mission?"

"Not really – we had Hinata-chan then, as well as Kiba, Shino, Neji-san, Tenten-san, and Hiashi-dono," Sakura explained. "This time, it's just us four."

"I don't know what you're so excited about," Sasuke muttered in utter boredom, his hands in his pockets as per usual. "It's not exactly going to be a milestone if it turns out to be some dumb D-Rank mission."

"We'll just see, won't we?" Kakashi said cheerfully as they entered the Hokage's office, where Tsunade was arranging files with Shizune.

"Ah, Team Kakashi," the amber-eyed Hokage greeted. "New mission, as I'm sure you'd know. And it's of personal importance to you too, especially Naruto and Sasuke."

The first thing on Sasuke's mind was a mission about the Akatsuki, particularly about Itachi and his partner, Kisame. He waited for Tsunade to continue, however. Naruto was still hard at work, trying to figure out what exactly the Godaime was talking about.

"It's going to be an easy mission," Tsunade continued, and Sasuke's theory that it would be about his brother vanished. He stared at her inquisitively like the rest of them. "We've received intelligence that bandits have plagued the Fire Country eastern borders for some time now, making it hard for messengers of the daimyo to move forward safely. They're carrying the votes of the daimyo regarding their choice of passers of the Chuunin Exam." Team Kakashi looked at each other, and Kakashi himself nodded knowingly. "We already have some votes sent by messenger bird, but we can't make an official statement until the missing votes have been accounted for."

"Team Kakashi," Tsunade said authoritatively, and all four nins were alert. "Your mission is to find these messengers and make sure they get to Konoha safely. It's a C-Rank mission – I don't expect you to screw up. Leave as soon as you can." Shizune handed the mission scroll to Kakashi. "Dismissed."

* * *

"This should be nice," Sasuke said as they traveled into the Fire Country's wilderness, a few hours later. "Easy enough to deal with, hard enough for us to stretch our unused muscles." Even with the positive things he was saying, he still looked disappointed, however, and Sakura noticed. 

"You're certainly not looking happy about it," she said brightly, in a good mood herself. "Expecting something more?"

Sasuke shrugged, but didn't say anything more. The truth was, he was disappointed it hadn't been news of his brother. _Maybe it's for the best, though. I don't want to face him while I'm not sure I'm ready. As bad as it sounds, I'm not, not yet._

"We'll reach the border town in an hour or two," Kakashi informed them. "We'll meet up with the messengers there. Let's proceed with caution, then – we don't want to compromise anything."

"This is going to be so awesome!" Naruto cheered. "We'll get to know our exam results!"

"When I said caution, Naruto," Kakashi said sternly, "I meant no loud noises."

"Besides, we won't be opening up any package of theirs," Sakura added. "As far as they're concerned, it's none of our business." Naruto harrumphed.

A little later, they slowed their pace down as they entered the small border town and went inside the lone inn, wherein the messengers were waiting. They were a cautious-looking group, huddled together so as not to attract any troublemakers. The team approached them, and the messengers let out sighs of relief after seeing the Konoha emblems on their hitai-ates. "You came just in time," one of them said in a low voice. "Those guys in the next table have been looking at us something suspicious."

He nodded towards the table across the inn's bar. Kakashi looked at them out of the corner of his eye and silently agreed. Even the inn's proprietors and the other patrons were eyeing the group warily. He smiled reassuringly at the messengers. "Well, now that we're here, they won't trouble you any more." He glanced at Sakura. "Maybe you can get us drink, Sakura, before we leave."

"As long as it's your treat, Kakashi-sensei," the girl grinned, motioning him to give her money. Kakashi sighed and dumped enough money on her hand to buy four of them ginger ale.

"I'll come with you," Naruto piped up. Sasuke began coming towards her as well, fully intending to come with her. However, she stared back beseechingly.

"I can take care of myself," she said in reassurance, giving them a characteristically cheerful smile. Without waiting for them to protest, she went right up to the bar and ordered four mugs of ale.

As they sat down with the three messengers, Sasuke's eyes narrowed after glancing to see if Sakura was all right. A couple of the suspicious-looking men from the next table had stood up, walking up to Sakura as she made small talk with the bar maid. Sasuke made to stand up, but Naruto pulled on him, shaking his head frantically. _She's going to kill us if we interfere,_ blue eyes told the Uchiha. He reluctantly sat back down and watched from afar. Not even Naruto would hesitate to rescue Sakura if things got too far.

The medic nin's smile twitched very slightly when the two men positioned themselves on either side of her. "Hey miss," one said in a foolish attempt at a smoothly seductive voice. "You doing anything tonight?"

"Yeah," the other said, closing in on Sakura. "Why don't you ditch those little boys and go out with real men like us?"

"Sorry," she said, still smiling saccharin sweet, her eyes cool. "I'll be too busy retching at the thought of you two dirty scumbags calling yourselves men."

"Whoa there, Spitfire," the first one said. "We just wanna make friends. How about we buy you a drink to soothe you?"

"How about leaving me alone before I kick you to Wonderland?"

The atmosphere began to tense as the second nin cracked his knuckles. "Watch your pretty mouth, Pinky," he said roughly. "Or we'll close it for ya."

Sasuke and Naruto stood up. However, Kakashi motioned for them to sit down. "We can't just watch this anymore!" Naruto muttered frantically. "Sakura-chan is going to get hurt!" Sasuke didn't say anything, but he looked as murderous as Sakura was getting. The three messengers looked more apprehensive than they were, as though sincerely wishing Team Kakashi hadn't come for them after all, if they were going to cause more trouble.

"Oh, relax and sit down," Kakashi said breezily. At his students' incredulous stares, he replied, "You may not know, but she hates being called Pinky."

"Do you really want to wake up breathing through hospital tubes?" Sakura asked darkly, slipping her black gloves on.

"Bring it, bitch," the second snarled, making a grab for her arm. Before he could reach it, however, Sakura wrapped her hand around his wrist, pulled him close, and let go as soon as her foot violently met his abdomen, making the guy ricochet to the street.

"Looks like her good mood's gone," Kakashi murmured, gathering the ginger ale from the bar while everyone watched, dumbfounded, as Sakura stalked out of the inn and into the street. She watched coldly the other man struggling to get up. "Just enjoy the show, boys," Kakashi added, sipping his ale as though he were watching a mere ball game on TV, making sure to take a courtside seat at the inn's entrance.

The man let out a stream of expletives that would burn paper if printed. Then he swung a heavy-handed fist at Sakura. She dodged lazily and the man tripped over his own feet. He began attacking with the ferocity and clumsiness of an angry drunk (which, in everyone's opinion, he was), while Sakura dodged and ducked easily, her face rather Sasuke-like – mask-like and blank. She finally ended everything a well-placed Earth jutsu that rendered her attacker staring at her foot with the rest of his body underground.

Sakura stalked back to Kakashi, grabbing the second mug of ale he was about to drink. After taking a rather unladylike swig at it and swiping her mouth clean, she asked, "Anyone else wanna end up like him?"

The reaction was immediate and furious, as the entire gang of thugs decided to jump at her. Finally not being able to hold back anymore, Naruto and Sasuke jumped into the fray in the street as well. The people who had gathered began cheering either side on, the brawl being noisy and, as Kakashi noted with distaste, rather messily coordinated. His three students seemed to have forgotten that they were shinobi and were using their brawn instead of brains.

"They're not always like this," he tried to reassure the flabbergasted messengers beside him. "Really – you can trust your lives with them."

"That may be so," one of them replied, "but I don't know if I can trust the peacefulness of any place with them." Kakashi merely laughed uncomfortably.

After the short free-for-all, all of the members of said gang lay on the ground, bloody and bruised. The ones who could still walk picked their comrades up and limped away, never to bother the little town forever, or at least, for a long while. "I didn't think that they'd be driven out like that, though," one townsperson said to the other. "I always imagined shinobi capturing them in a more… civilized manner."

"This is an isolated incident," Kakashi tried, desperately salvaging his team's reputation, laughing sheepishly. "I promise they don't always act like this!"

The town seemed to be more concerned about the bandits leaving, and the streets, including the inn, began to be a bit livelier after that. Kakashi sighed as Sasuke and Naruto dumped the last of their ale into their mouths. "Let's go," Sakura said briskly, her tone still fierce and irritated.

"As long as we don't do anything to anger her, we'll live," one messenger muttered reassuringly to the other as they began their journey back to Konoha.

* * *

Sakura's bad mood didn't persist any longer than that, to everyone's relief. She was back to her cheery old self the next day, when the messengers were safely in Konoha, having already delivered the messages to Tsunade. Now all Kakashi's team had to do was wait for the results to be brought to them. 

"Why do we have to keep waiting?" Naruto complained as he skinned carrots for dinner while Sakura sliced some tomatoes. (Sasuke hovered over her shoulder hungrily, and she swatted his face away.) "I mean, all this time we're wasting could be better used for the missions we need to take the Exams!"

"The fact is, Naruto," Sakura explained as Sasuke tried in vain to furtively grab a tomato slice from the chopping board, "they're still tallying the votes, as well as looking at your records if you're truly fit to be Chuunin. It'll all be down to the council's decision now. Anyway," she added, brandishing her knife for emphasis, "you have it lucky. You'll have _me_ to tell you in advance, before they even give you the official announcement."

"What good is that if we still can't get Chuunin-credited missions?" Sasuke asked, dodging Sakura's knife when he tried to get a tomato again. "It's just knowing in advance. It doesn't really matter. I just want to get them before we lose more time."

"Well, we'll just have to wait for tomorrow, then," Sakura told them. "It shouldn't take them too long to figure things out."

But Naruto and Sasuke, as was their nature, couldn't stay too long with being patient. All through dinner, they obsessively discussed their chances of being Chuunin, stuff they might be able to do to get their results right away, and occasionally, what may come up in the Jounin Exams. Finally, in irritation, Sakura broke her silence and said, "Why don't you guys just wait and see tomorrow? Stop being overly obsessed with it – it's not getting you anywhere with eating your dinner."

And so the next day dawned, and Sakura set out for the Hokage's office early to get their results, upon Sasuke and Naruto's insistence. She was annoyed, but then again, it would be good to know that they could finally get off her nerves as soon as their results were with them.

As soon as she entered the office, she had to roll her eyes. Again, Tsunade was spread all over her paperwork, asleep and drooling. _Well,_ Sakura said to herself, _shishou's_ _not getting any younger, I suppose. She could do with some of Lee-san's youthful energy or whatever it is._ She began shaking her master's shoulder. "Tsunade-shishou," she admonished as Tsunade blinked sleepily up at her. "You have work to do – you can't spend your time like this!"

"I swear, you're becoming more like Shizune than you are me," the hazel-eyed Hokage mumbled. She wiped the bit of ink smudged on her smooth face. "Whoever said you got your new personality from me had it all wrong. Well, I suppose you're here for the Chuunin Exam results?"

Sakura picked a few papers up from Tsunade's desk. "Which of course, you aren't done transcribing yet," she said, glaring reproachfully at the Godaime.

"Well, if you're so keen on getting the results, then do it yourself," the older woman declared. "I'm going back to sleep. I'll have you know that they're approved by the council – we met about it yesterday. Just tally the rest of the votes." She sighed and sank her head into her arms. Sakura snorted and gathered the papers, writing down the results of her reading in a fresh scroll.

After about thirty minutes, Sakura began to grin. "Looks like you'll have to get a couple of new Chuunin vests ready, Tsunade-shishou," she said.

Tsunade raised her head. "They passed?"

"More than that," Sakura replied, pride swelling in her chest. "The votes were unanimous!"

This, time, Tsunade was fully alert. "Well," she said in a brisk but pleased voice. "I suppose the council members weren't the only ones who knew they had it in them." She grinned at Sakura. "Go ahead and call them to the Tower. I'll send for those jackets at once." Her student laughed delightedly and pulled the door open to go out.

To her surprise, in rolled the pair of new Chuunin. She gave them a baleful glare. "You followed me here and listened in?!"

"Naruto's idea," Sasuke said quickly, trying to look casual as he stood up from the floor.

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed indignantly. "You tried to eavesdrop first!"

"Does it really matter?" Tsunade asked. "Fact is, you're Chuunin now, and if you're going to take that Jounin Exam, then you better call in the people I want in my office so I can induct you properly."

Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, and grinned. New things were open to them now that all three of them were Chuunin, but they weren't stopping for anything. Becoming a Chuunin was only a path to the three of them becoming Jounin, wherein more paths would open for them.

"Now we're equal shinobi!" Naruto exclaimed. "We won't be holding you back anymore, Sakura-chan, so we have to get those missions right away!"

"I'll finish them easy," Sasuke said confidently, an arrogant smirk on his face. "There's not a thing in this world that will stop me from taking that Exam."

"You mean 'we', as in you and Naruto," Sakura corrected him. "You had better finish them – I don't want to wait for another two years before I become a Jounin! I've been dreaming of becoming one for a long time now!"

"As long as we get moving now," Sasuke said. "Let's get the induction party, then."

They were moving as fast as they could to reach their goals. Each path they took only took them closer to their goal, but they were choosing the ones that took them faster, no matter how hard to conquer the path may be. They were truly making legends of themselves as fast as their skills could take them.

* * *

"Spiffy," Naruto breathed as he looked at his new Chuunin uniform. "Too bad the vest totally clashes with my orange jacket – I can't actually wear it." 

"You'll have to wear the uniform during formal occasions," Sakura told him. "But what you're wearing now is totally fine. There are a good number of us who don't wear the vest with their clothes. Most who do that wear the entire uniform, like Shikamaru. Mine actually sits in my closet like a kind of trophy."

"I think I'll wear mine," Sasuke said, holding the vest against his black long-sleeved shirt. "It goes well with my normal clothes."

Naruto guffawed. "Man, Sasuke – you sound like some prissy gay!"

"Shut it, homophobe," Sasuke retorted. "At least I don't wear fashion rejects from the clownwear factory."

"Hey! I bought this jacket for a ton of money! If it has to cost such a lot, then it's gotta be good!"

"I think that you both look good in whatever you're wearing," Sakura said exasperatedly, more to put the argument to a stop than anything else. "We still have to plan out our moves for the next two months. Though that you two are already Chuunin, that's only one requirement. We still have to figure out who we want as our fourth member, and how you guys are going to finish all those required missions."

"Not to mention one other fact," Kakashi butted in from where he was reading Icha Icha Tactics. "I think Tsunade may have forgotten to mention this to Sakura." He looked at the pink-haired female and the blond Jinchuuriki. "One advantage for a Jounin is mastery of two elements from the five central elements. Sasuke is all cleared for that, because he can do Fire and Lightning jutsus, even if there's only one Lightning jutsu he knows. You two, however, lack one other element."

He pointed at Sakura. "You're an Earth type, and I highly suggest Water. It's the natural complement of Earth, and you can put out any fires Sasuke can make. It makes for good balance in the team, because his Lightning can keep your Earth at bay." He addressed Naruto next. "You're a Wind type, which is a Lightning type's weakness. I'm thinking you can learn Earth jutsus, since Sakura and Sasuke can somehow cancel each other out, which means you can be canceled out with Sasuke as well, but complement Sakura's Water."

The three Chuunin stared at him as they digested the new information. Finally, Sakura spoke up, her face showing a hint of frustration. "I'm really beginning to wonder whether or not we'll be able to make it for October."

* * *

For the next few days, Naruto and Sasuke began visiting the Hokage Tower more frequently than usual, to pick up any mission C-Ranked or higher that they could handle. Sakura took on the job of looking for other people to get for their team. Sakura and Naruto had also started their training with Kakashi. Sakura had decided to learn Suiryuudan no Jutsu, the most impressive Water jutsu she knew. 

"I mean, if I can learn something that big, learning other Suiton will be a piece of cake," she said as she stood by the river one day, trying to mold her chakra with the water. She had gotten a part of it in two days, but she had yet to learn how to do a long succession of seals in a shorter time, which Sasuke had taken the liberty to help her with.

Meanwhile, Naruto was working hard with the Earth element, deciding to try something tame, like Doton: Chikyu no Bogyou (1), which was basically a wall of earth that could block out attacks. "I'm pretty confident that all my other techniques can be for offense," he declared. "I always needed to work on my defense, after all."

They were often so burned out by doing as many missions as they can as well as inserting training in between, that Kakashi often found them at night, slumped over take-out ramen, too exhausted to cook dinner. Even Naruto, the eternal fountain of energy, was having a hard time, having focused his energy on learning the Doton and not being able to learn as quickly as he wanted to.

After one week passed, all three of them were still hard at work to prepare for the Jounin Exams. During their morning katas, Sakura informed them, "All the other people in our age group are going to take the Jounin Exams as well, you know."

"Like Shikamaru's team, and Fuzzy Brows and Tenten, and Hinata's team?" Naruto asked.

"Well, not exactly," Sakura replied. "All of them are taking the Exam, except Hinata-chan."

Naruto stopped in surprise. "Why not Hinata-chan? She's good enough!"

"From what I've heard from Neji-san, she wants to concentrate on finding a reverse jutsu for the Hyuuga's Curse Seal. But if we can convince her, then maybe we can get her as our fourth member."

"Then convince her," Sasuke said, smoothly continuing his kata. "I have no doubt about her abilities. It would be for the best to have her for the team."

"Well, I'll try," Sakura said uncertainly. "But it's going to be hard… she's quite dedicated to her cause."

"That girl's going to have to learn about life beyond being a Hyuuga," Sasuke said. "Now that she's free from the restraints that bind her to her clan, she can do more to improve herself for her own sake." Sakura agreed, but knowing Hinata's dedication, she knew it would be hard to convince her otherwise.

"I just heard from Gai about what's going to come out in this year's Jounin Exams," Kakashi announced, materializing at the branch of a nearby tree. "It's supposed to be classified information, but of course, being elite, we get to find out."

"Care to tell us, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, unable to mask his excitement.

Kakashi smiled. "Wouldn't you like to know." This elicited such disappointed groans and pitiful pleading gazes from Naruto and Sakura, so that finally, the white-haired jounin gave up. "There will be five exams to take. The first will be a group written exam, though what sort of questions will come out we haven't been told; the second exam will be to show the judges a new kind of jutsu – one that you developed by yourself, or else one that you improved on; the third exam will be a survival test, wherein you will have to something inside some kind of labyrinth."

"Sounds exciting," Sakura said cheerily as she punched the air methodically.

"The fourth exam will be two-man team combat, though how the teams are chosen we don't know yet," Kakashi continued, "and lastly, the fifth exam will be a one-on-one combat. There will be a point system too: you pass an exam by getting a certain number of points, and these points are going to be totaled before the fifth exam. The qualification for the fifth exam will depend on how much points you gathered in the first four exams."

"Kinda complicated if you ask me," Naruto said, grimacing, "but I suppose I'll just do my best and not care about those small technicalities."

"But it might be those technicalities that will spell the difference between a pass and fail," Sasuke pointed out while he raised his leg to do a few alternating kicks. "We're going to end up trying to find different loopholes to pass."

"Which will also help in the missions you guys have been doing these past few days," Sakura said. "How are they going, anyway?"

"We've managed a couple of C-Rank missions and one B-Rank so far," Sasuke replied. "Since it's just the two of us, we've been paid double the usual. But as of now, money doesn't really matter, does it?"

"What I'm really annoyed about," Naruto complained, "is that Tsunade-baachan keeps giving us stupid D-Rank missions, like buying her sweet sake in Spring Country or some nonsense like that. She keeps telling us that they'll help. Yeah right!"

"It's to keep you busy and away from pestering her for higher ranking missions," Sakura said. "Live with it."

"Though you say that, you won't be able to live it down if you didn't even make it to the Jounin Exams this year," Sasuke responded bluntly.

Sakura pouted. She knew as well as they did that this was perfectly true.

* * *

At mid-September, Sakura finally got the time (and the guts) to walk up to the Hyuuga compound and make her presence known on the main building's door. After hearing a bit of shuffling from the inside, the pink-haired nin looked down to see Hinata's younger sister Hanabi staring up at her expressionlessly. She bowed in respect, and Hanabi bowed back. "Is Hinata-chan home?" she asked. "I'd like to speak with her." 

"In the smaller sitting room," Hanabi replied, motioning Sakura in. "You wouldn't believe what a mess she's made of it."

"I'm sure I will," Sakura said. "I live in a house full of irresponsible men, remember?"

"Vividly," Hanabi replied, snorting amusedly. "Over here." She slid a door off the main hall.

Hanabi was right – it was as though Temari had opened her giant fan in the room, with all the open books, journals and scrolls, plus loose leaves scattered on the floor, Hinata sitting in the middle and poring over five of them almost at the same time. "What are you up to, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked after they exchanged greetings. She started gathering the books and papers into piles. "Research?"

"I'm looking through the things written by my ancestors with regards to the Hyuuga Curse Seal," Hinata replied. "There _should_ be some clue as to how it can be removed. Once I figure out its origins, I can figure out how to reverse it."

"That's going to take a lot of work," Sakura mentioned.

Hinata smiled tiredly. "I haven't slept all that much since I started working on it." Then she seemed to realize what she was saying. "N-not that I'm complaining! I am honored to be accepting this kind of duty from my clan!" She rearranged her features to a look of concern. "But why are you here, Sakura-chan? Do you need anything? After you and your team helped our family, I'd be honored to help you in whatever way I can. I haven't repaid you enough for your help."

Sakura rubbed her neck uncomfortably. "Well, Hinata-chan, I think that you might not like what I'm about to ask of you."

Hinata smiled graciously and took Sakura's hands in hers. "Oh, Sakura-chan, do ask. I will help any way I can."

"The truth is," Sakura began slowly, "Naruto and Sasuke-kun and I are getting ready to take the Jounin Exams."

"That's wonderful!" Hinata exclaimed. "I'd heard that they were recently inducted Chuunin! I hadn't had the chance to congratulate Naruto-kun… a-and Sasuke-san of course."

"The thing is," Sakura went on, "we need one more team member."

She met Hinata's eyes significantly, and the former heiress averted them. "Sakura-chan," she said slowly and quietly, "I refused my own teammates. I can't possibly agree to a request of another team."

"Please, Hinata-chan," Sakura pleaded. "We would love to have you on our team. We think you can work well with us. Plus, we're desperate. You're the only one we know who can work well with us who isn't in a team yet, because we've known you for a long time."

"I…" Hinata began, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. "I mean, I would love to join the Jounin Exams, but I just don't have the time. I want to find the counter to the Curse Seal as soon as I can, while no one can abuse it."

"Well, please think about it," Sakura said, still earnest about her proposal. "Naruto actually likes having you around, because you're about the only one who agrees with him at all. I think you two would make a great team."

Hinata blushed. "R-really? He thinks that? He…" Suddenly, she glared reproachfully at her pink-haired friend. "Very sly, Sakura-chan."

"Aww, don't be like that," Sakura said, laughing. "I mean it – you would make a good addition to our team. Come on, please?"

"Well, I'll… have to ask Neji-niisan," Hinata said uncertainly. "But it really won't be for sure…"

"Good enough for me," Sakura answered happily, relieved they had gotten somewhere in the conversation.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Naruto sat together, preparing to storm one of the most dangerous territories of the Waterfall shinobi, which was the village's outpost in their sponsor country's border. Inside the outpost was a shrine, and inside _that_ was a scroll of the utmost importance to Konoha. It was then their mission to retrieve it without alerting the nins who were at the outpost. Currently, the two Chuunin were three kilometers from the first string of guards, and were coming up with a plan. 

"How do you suppose we're going through it?" Naruto asked. "Just rampage through the whole thing?"

"Stop being an idiot for once," Sasuke said. "We're going in with stealth. The moment they realize we're here, either we're in trouble or we'll be dealing with some very unnecessary deaths." He pointed to the diagram he had made after scouting the area. "There are two strings of guards with an interval of 500 meters in between them. The rest are grouped in five two-man teams around the shrine, and at the entrance, there's a guy. There are no other entrances into the shrine other than where that single nin is staying, so we'll have to take out the ones posted outside the shrine, and avoid engaging everyone else."

"How else am I going to try out that new jutsu I was developing?" Naruto grumped. "I was so excited too! Now you're telling me I can't do that?"

"Save it for the Jounin Exams," Sasuke said, getting slowly irritable. "We have to finish this mission so we can get to training again."

"It's unfair that you new jutsu is made for stealth," Naruto continued as though he hadn't heard Sasuke. "Mine is just so much noisier and powerful-"

"Okay, that's enough," Sasuke said, now thoroughly irritated. "Let's just get on with it." Without waiting for Naruto, he stood up and adjusted his sword strap, activating his Sharingan and starting the short journey.

Naruto grumbled to himself as he followed Sasuke. It was too unfair, he decided. Sasuke, again, was taking lead, and got to use the jutsu he had recently developed. The first part of their trip had been devoted to trying to create new jutsus of their own for the Jounin Exams, as Kakashi had mentioned an exam that would require them to show a new jutsu, and they had taken it as an opportunity to further their skills. He had been the one more enthusiastic in trying his out in a battle. Why did Sasuke have to take the spotlight all the time anyway? It wasn't fair.

They arrived where the first string of guards were posted. Not a sound was made as Sasuke made quick work of disabling all twenty guards with a couple of swings from his Chidori-enhanced sword. "How the hell did you do that?" Naruto asked, half-awed and half-grumpy.

"The electricity numbs their nervous system as soon as the sword drives into their flesh," Sasuke explained silently. "That's my Chidori Nagashi (2)."

"Dumb name," Naruto said under his breath as they took off again. Sasuke pretended not to hear it.

Soon enough, the two of them arrived at the next string of guards. "I'm going to use my new jutsu whether you like it not," he said defiantly.

"Try, and I'll kill you," Sasuke hissed back. "This is supposed to be a stealth mission. Besides, we still have no idea whether or not the jutsu is safe for you to use. If you want to kill yourself before the Jounin Exams, then I won't stop you."

This got Naruto thinking twice. He hadn't actually thought of any consequence like that before. Maybe it _was _a good thing that Sasuke was there, after all. (Not that, of course, he would ever admit it out loud.) "Fine – I'll wait till I'm sure it's safe," he grumbled to Sasuke as they proceeded with the mission after the Uchiha had finished with the second string of guards. "But don't think you'll be the only one who can show off on this mission."

"Oh, be quiet, Naruto," Sasuke muttered. Really, what was it with Naruto's seemingly pathological obsession of showing him up?

_It doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you're pushing him into doing that, does it? _a small sly voice in his head that sounded so much like Kakashi's said to him. Being which, Sasuke tried to ignore it.

They arrived in the outpost, easily dodging the guards posted around the rickety walls. They hid in the trees as they got to the perimeter around the shrine, watching the guards' movement below them. "When they path is clear, I'm going in," Sasuke whispered. "You stay behind as back-up."

"What?!" Naruto asked incredulously. "Why do I have to be the back-up?"

"Because they're going to spot you as soon as you get down from this tree," Sasuke replied, still slightly aggravated with Naruto's lack of cooperation. "Leave it to me, and in the unlikely event that I get into trouble, come help me out – never mind stealth." Without waiting for an answer, Sasuke climbed down the tree and began the operation.

Naruto sat on the branch, grumbling all the while. Finally, he decided to eat while waiting – Sasuke never said anything about eating on duty, after all. He watched from afar as the Waterfall shinobi lazily went through their guarding shifts, unaware that their top security measures were being thwarted by a couple of Konoha Chuunin. Naruto bit the last piece of dango off the skewer. Carelessly, he threw the skewer like a kunai into the distance and got out a second one.

Throwing the skewer was a mistake, as it hit a tree with a distinct _thud_, making whatever birds that lived in the tree panic and flee in a noisy flutter of wings, screeching. Naruto realized in horror that their enemies had suddenly become more alert after that racket, and Sasuke was now more likely to be caught. He jumped off the tree to find him.

He never had a chance. He was now surrounded with about twenty shinobi, who Sasuke had apparently missed taking out of commission. He could vaguely hear the rush of the river nearby as he created four replicas of himself. He made the first move, effectively taking out some with simple but powerful taijutsu moves. However, the other Waterfall shinobi weren't as amateur as the first ones, creating Mizu Bunshin to fight his own Kage Bunshin.

Meanwhile, Sasuke realized that there were more shinobi moving around the grounds, which meant that they knew security had been breached. _That Naruto_, he thought in utter annoyance. _What the hell did that freaking idiot do?_ He dodged every shinobi that passed, having very narrow escapes and getting to his goal slower than ever.

His senses tingled and barely dodged the five kunai that had come whistling out of nowhere behind him. Thinking fast, he grabbed the kunai that had embedded on the tree in front of him and threw them back at the enemy, only detected by his Sharingan. _There are three of them_, he thought, pinpointing their locations. Focusing chakra onto his legs, he disappeared from their view and disabled them one by one with his Chidori Nagashi.

More came from the foliage, and Sasuke belatedly understood that the guards he had taken out made up less than half of those who were at the outpost in total. He readied his sword as they came at him one by one. He could smell the river water nearby, and knew that the Waterfall nin, who were known Water users, would use their geographic advantage somehow.

As he fought the Waterfall jounin who were coming at him, he felt that they were only a cover of something bigger. _I'm right about the geographic advantage, then,_ he said to himself as he found himself face to face with a huge Suiryuudan, activated by a nin in the far-off distance.

Naruto was hard put while the nins he was fighting had an unlimited supply of water and Mizu Bunshin. He had never been more drenched in a fight in his life. Like Sasuke, he found himself staring at a Suiryuudan, threatening to drown him the moment he unfroze. He steeled himself for an attack and feinted to the left.

Instantly, the water dragon dived at him. Saying a quiet prayer, hoping that what he planned worked, he quickly formed a seal and rammed his hand on the ground. "Doton: Chikyu no Bogyou!" he yelled as a huge earth wall protected him from the attack. From behind the wall, the cerulean-orbed jinchuuriki created fifty Kage Bunshin, all of which went against the remaining shinobi.

In another part of the tree-covered outpost, Sasuke was still face to face with another Suiryuudan. He made a sudden movement, and the dragon lunged at him. The coal-haired Uchiha quickly jumped back and gathered chakra into his lungs. _Katon: Horyuudan no Jutsu!_ he said in his thoughts, blowing out an equally large fire dragon, though blue in color, signifying its high temperature. Even the atmosphere felt like an oven as the Horyuudan tore throughthe air. Before he could get singed by his own creation, he rushed away, hearing the Suiryuudan being evaporated by his more powerful Horyuudan.

As he neared the shrine, Naruto joined him. "What the hell is going on, Naruto?!" Sasuke demanded.

"Just shut up and get the scroll!" Naruto yelled. "They've probably gotten more reinforcements from the main village by now!"

They rushed to the shrine, where more guard nins had convened. Naruto did his Tajuu Kage Bunshin to beat the guard nins, while Sasuke stunned the others with his Chidori Nagashi. Finally, only one was left for him – the one who was running away with the scroll. It was easy enough to knick the young genin with his sword, stunning him, and prying the scroll from his fingers.

"Mission accomplished," he muttered under his breath as he and Naruto took flight from the outpost, several Waterfall nins hot on their heels.

* * *

"So that's what happened," Sasuke said as he polished his sword, the day after they arrived in Konoha. As soon as they were out of the hospital after their post-mission check-up (a protocol insisted on by Tsunade), they were back to training once more. "Nothing like that would have happened if _somebody_ hadn't alerted the enemy nins in the first place." 

"Well, it was a good thing anyway," Naruto replied, drinking from his water bottle. "I never got to try out my new jutsu, but at least I put the Doton one into practice. I finally got it after not getting it for so long!"

"Chidori Nagashi, huh?" Kakashi murmured, impressed. "The Chidori never struck me as anything that could do anything less than kill. I guess you've made it evolve to some extent. It shows much of your control, Sasuke."

"I could have killed them if I wanted," Sasuke said, shrugging.

"Don't say that," Sakura admonished. "It's good that you didn't even have to kill anyone!"

"Anyway, we're almost done with the missions Tsunade-baachan wanted us to do!" Naruto cheered. "Just a couple more A-Rank and one C-Rank, and we're home free!"

"Well, make it fast," Kakashi said cheerily. "I for one know that Sakura's bursting to take the Exams." Aforementioned girl blushed.

"So, how did it go with Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked her. "Have you asked her to join us?" Sakura grimaced, bracing herself to tell him the unfortunate news.

"Why don't you ask her yourself, Naruto?" Kakashi said before she could speak, glancing at the closed Uchiha compound gate. All three of his students stared at it, and the gate opened, Hinata peeking shyly out of the opening. Naruto beamed and rushed to her.

To everyone's utter shock, Hinata's especially, Naruto hugged her tightly, lifting her off her feet. "You came, you really came!" he exclaimed excitedly. "You're training with us, right? You're going to take the Jounin Exams, just like Sakura-chan asked you, right? Right? Because it'd make me real happy if you did!"

Hinata's face could have fried an egg. _I came here to refuse!_ she thought in panic. _But… Naruto-kun is making it so hard!_ She had decided the night before that she would put her clan first, despite Neji's suggestion that she take a break from the matters concerning the clan.

"It's not good for you to be holed up here, while there's an entire world waiting for you out there," he had said, not unkindly. "Even I still stay true to my duties as leader while continuing to serve as a jounin. You can do the same. We've already broken the fate that our clan has set for us. There's no use of following it anymore."

She knew he was right, but still, she couldn't bear to stop now that she was on a roll. She had gotten into several ruts in the theory she had been developing, but she knew she was closer than ever, compared to the previous researchers who had conducted the same study.

So she had decided to inform Sakura of her decision. It was just her luck that Naruto happened to be there, making her resolve waver. She met his joyful, expectant eyes, and her resolve crumpled completely. "H-how can I say no to that face?" she replied very softly, but not softly enough that Naruto couldn't hear it.

"Yes!" Naruto cheered, whirling Hinata around. "We get to be in the Jounin Exams together! Thank you, _thank you_, Hinata-chan! Now we can really take the Jounin Exams! Well, almost – but who cares! We got Hinata-chan! Wait till Kiba gets a wind of this!"

Hinata was too dazed to reply, but her mind settled on being happy with the circumstances. It was, after all, both a favor to Naruto and to herself. Again, she could improve herself, making those who admired her all the prouder.

* * *

Naruto's euphoria didn't last for long. As the four of them began training together for the remaining weeks before the Jounin Exams, they began to realize that time was running out to have two A-Rank missions. 

"It's only about a week till we have to submit a formal application to take the Exam, and a week before we're supposed to leave for Hidden Gem," Sakura said as they rested after a particularly rigorous training session, wherein they had planned out several strategies in fighting. As she had predicted, Hinata worked well with them, her techniques managing to become complements to their own. "There isn't enough time to find A-Rank missions. And it's not like they come by frequently, either."

"Great," Naruto grumbled, dumping the contents of his water bottle on his head to cool off. "Just when we need them, they stop coming."

"Can't Hokage-sama do something about it?" Hinata asked. "A technicality or whatever?"

"It'll be hard to do that, even for the Hokage," Sasuke said. "Not to mention the fact that the council thinks that the Hokage seems to favor our team too much. They might bar her from finding more loopholes for us."

"But we're great at whatever we're doing!" Naruto protested. "Why should they stop us from becoming even better?"

"They don't think much of you, Naruto," Sakura said sadly. "They don't completely trust you yet. Though a lot of the civilians have found something to trust in you, those old geezers in the council don't. They haven't let go of an old prejudice like the rest of us."

"And I'm not exactly at the top of their favorites list," Sasuke added. "I can see why they would refuse to give us more authority. While they expect much from us, they're not going to make it easy for us, either."

"So what do we do?" Naruto asked. "I mean, I know Sakura-chan's been asking Tsunade-baachan to do something, but that's not enough."

"Maybe it just means we're not meant to take it after all," Hinata said quietly.

"No," Sakura said firmly. "I'm going to make sure that we take that Exam. By hook or by crook, we're going to make Jounin this year, or at the very least, we're going to get to the Exams."

Sakura meant what she said, that her teammates could count on. All three of them began to notice that she was the one who was the most determined to take the Jounin Exams. "It's probably because she's been overshadowed for so long," Kakashi theorized when Sasuke mentioned this to him. "She didn't have a chance to prove herself alongside you guys, and she probably wants to use this opportunity."

Soon enough, Sakura's weekly training with Tsunade came, and she confronted the Hokage with the little conundrum. "We've got most of the requirements we need," Sakura told her. "But these two missions are the only ones we're missing, or at least, Sasuke and Naruto are missing. Can't you find a loophole of some sort to help, shishou? I mean, I know I'm pushing the envelope here-"

"Yet here we are," Tsunade said shrewdly, interrupting Sakura's tirade. "I _may _be able to do something, but I have to tell you – the council of elders is not going to be happy with me being too impartial with you guys."

Sakura laughed. "But then again, you manage to do something the council doesn't like one way or the other. Thanks so much, shishou."

"I've been thinking of something for a while now," Tsunade said, looking thoughtful. "If you get that mission scroll waaaay over there-" She pointed to one of the file drawers that had been taken out of the cabinet, "I'll be able to confirm if I can use my idea."

"This one?" Sakura asked, waving the only rolled-up scroll she found among the profile folders. "Really, shishou – you ought to get a bit more organized than this."

Tsunade caught the scroll Sakura tossed to her and opened the flap to see the label. "Yep, it's this one," she said. "Let's see now…"

Sakura hovered over her shoulder, scanning the contents and frowning in puzzlement. "Hey, this mission was-"

"-the Hyuuga rescue mission," Tsunade continued, nodding. "Hm, I _did_ label it an S-Class mission, although no one has recorded it on any of the ninja profiles yet." She grinned mischievously at Sakura. "You know what this means, don't you?" When Sakura continued to look confused, Tsunade knocked her on the head. "Haven't I taught you anything? This means that I can put it into your profiles as a Chuunin mission. Even Naruto's and Sasuke's."

"But they did this before they were declared Chuunin," Sakura said.

"Yes, but _technically,_ they were already Chuunin when they did the mission," Tsunade said proudly. "If you look at the dates the scrolls the daimyo voted on, and the date of the council decision, they all are _before_ the mission happened. Meaning, though they were known as Genin then, they were unofficially Chuunin already."

"But it's an S-Rank mission."

"And an S-Rank mission is worth a lot more than two A-Rank missions. If we put it down as a Chuunin mission done by Naruto and Sasuke, they're all set for the Exams."

Tsunade's words finally settled into Sakura's psyche, and she began to smile widely. "That's right! They're all set! We're all set!" She hugged Tsunade, disregarding all protocol. The hazel-orbed Godaime felt greatly amused as her student hugged her. "Thank you, _thank you_ so much, Tsunade-shishou!"

* * *

Sakura relayed the wonderful news to her teammates that afternoon, and the levels of excitement were both varied and amusing to watch. _This must be what Tsunade-shishou felt when I was hugging her back then,_ she thought amusedly. 

Sasuke was trying to hide his excitement, and he would've done a better job if he hadn't suddenly announced that he would train even more than usual, because, as he had put it, "there will be more obstacles in the Exams than we have ever faced," and proceeded to train by himself in an almost Lee-like style.

Naruto, on the other hand, didn't bother hiding it. As soon as he heard the news, he had picked Hinata up by the waist and began twirling her around so that the Hyuuga girl turned scarlet with a greenish tinge. "We're going to the Jounin Exams!" he cried out repeatedly, dancing Hinata around as though she was a rag doll.

"Well, anyway," Sakura said as Naruto had begun to calm down and Sasuke had stopped running laps like mad, "we'll have to devote the rest of the two weeks in training."

"That's the logical thing to do," Sasuke said as he began to do some one-finger push-ups. "We'll develop more strategies, learn more techniques…"

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "We can make combos and stuff using our techniques! I mean, we got two free weeks! What are we gonna do with them but train?"

Sasuke and Naruto began to discuss, as the often obsessively did, more training strategies for the four of them – whatever they could fit into a couple of weeks. Sakura, however, had something different in mind for herself. She gave her energy into improving their teamwork, but in the back of her mind, something lingered.

They got their official permits to enter the Hidden Gem Village to take the Jounin Exams two days after the announcement. They had met the other teams from their village who were taking the Exams with them. Although, as Sasuke put it, it was more of a reunion than anything. _After all, _he thought, _the entire peanut gallery was there_.

Shikamaru and his teammates, Kiba, Shino, Lee, and Tenten were there with them, as well as Neji, who would be accompanying them, when they stood before the council to formally announce their decision to take the Jounin Exams. Also there was Aoba, one of the Chuunin they knew, who would be teamed with Shikamaru. The elders seemed surprised to see Sasuke and Naruto there, and remained to look skeptical even after looking at their ninja profile scrolls, but nevertheless gave them their permits.

"Why the hell did you have to take Hinata away?!" Kiba yelled at Naruto after they had gotten through the formalities. "I mean, she could've been in our team!"

"Yeah, well, she refused you and agreed to be in ours!" Naruto threw back.

"Kiba-kun, Naruto-kun, please-" Hinata tried to intervene.

"Stay out of this!" they both yelled.

"Oh, would you guys both grow up!?" Tenten said, hitting them both on the head as Sakura put a protective arm around Hinata. While they both howled in pain, she added, "Really! It was Hinata-chan's choice on which team she would be in! Stop acting as if you had anything to do with her choice!"

_Actually, Naruto had a LOT to do with Hinata-chan's choice, _Sakura thought privately, but didn't say anything. Shikamaru and Chouji snickered at the situation – it was painfully obvious that though no one would admit it, Hinata was overprotected by a lot of people, not just her cousin.

"This is so troublesome," the strategist of the group told his best friend. "If Ino hadn't dragged me into this-"

"You're lucky I dragged you into this!" Ino exclaimed. "What, you want to keep your low status as Chuunin and not go after something bigger."

"Yeah, if that means I get to keep my head," Shikamaru drawled.

Ino's glare was steely. "If you back out on me, Shika, I'm going to make _sure_ that your head isn't the only thing you'll get to _not_ keep." Shikamaru sighed and decided not to say anything, as it would be too troublesome anyway.

"So," Neji said quietly, and Sasuke's eyes met his, "do you think you can handle the Jounin Exams, Uchiha?"

The raven-haired nin's smirk was confident. "Heh. If you were able to _pass _it, Hyuuga, I'm sure I'll be able to ace it, if you know what I mean."

"Are you looking for a fight, Uchiha?" Neji hissed.

"Bring it," Sasuke sneered, stepping forward. Before they could even begin, however, a green blur appeared in between them.

"AH!" the ever sharp Rock Lee exclaimed, his teeth brightening the room. "What is this youthful energy I feel from these two young chieftains of such prestigious clans? Are you going to spar? Allow me to lend my energy to this clash as well!"

Neji and Sasuke looked at each other in askance. Finally, the Hyuuga sighed. "It's not worth it. I'm outta here." Sasuke merely rolled his eyes at Lee's hyperactive antics and walked away.

Sakura watched everyone interact from afar, and broke away from the group quietly. If she was going to do what she planned to do, it was best to start as soon as she could. She managed to catch up to Kakashi just as he left the room to meet with the other jounin. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" she called.

The masked Copy Ninja turned. "Is there a problem, Sakura?" he asked.

"Well, I was thinking…" Sakura began. "It's about Sasuke-kun's Curse Seal and Naruto's Kyuubi."

"What about them?" Kakashi asked, looking nonchalant but secretly alert.

"Well… I was wondering if there was any way at all I could help them in those states of being," Sakura said. "I mean, we were lucky that nothing happened during their match in the Chuunin Exams, and that during that battle with Itachi, they managed to keep those things at bay. But next time might not be as lucky." She looked firm and determined, a thing which Kakashi noted. "If in the chance I'm there to witness such a thing during the Exams, I want to be able to do something about it. Teach me, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi held her gaze for a long time, deliberating. Finally, he said, "Well, I'm back to teaching, huh? I have to say – I haven't been able to teach you much, have I? I concentrated so much on Sasuke and Naruto before… I guess this is my chance to make up for that."

"It's not supposed to be for making it up to me, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, smiling wryly. "It's about me being able to help Sasuke-kun and Naruto even more."

"So it is," Kakashi said, laughing. "But to tell you the truth, Sakura, there isn't much I could teach you. I've sealed Sasuke's Curse Seal once before, and I know a secondary seal you can try if it gets stronger. But as for Naruto, I'm stumped. I have nothing to teach you." Sakura's face fell, but Kakashi laughed again. "Don't look so disappointed, Sakura. You didn't let me finish." The medic nin raised her head again. "I may not know much about how to control Naruto, but I _do_ know someone who does."

"He was my kohai (3) back when I was an ANBU. His codename is Yamato."

* * *

After two weeks of heavy training, for all of them, they were ready. 

"Naruto, stop stuffing all that ramen into your bag," Sasuke said impatiently as they got ready to leave, on the morning of their departure. "You too, Sakura. You don't need all those bandages."

"But Sasuke-" they both began to protest, but Sasuke raised a finger.

"I don't want to hear it," he said tetchily. "Let's go."

Sakura waved to Kakashi, who sat on the porch as they began their exit. "We'll see you there, Kakashi-sensei."

"As soon as you pass the Third Exam, I'll be there to watch the matches," their former teacher said, waving back. "Good luck, all of you." Sasuke nodded, Sakura waved again, and Hinata bowed, polite as ever.

"Watch us, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping a fist up in the air. "We're gonna rock this Exam just like we did the last one!"

_I'm counting on it,_ Kakashi thought, watching his students walk away from their childhood, onto greater things.

* * *

**Next Chapter… **

**Sakura: **Well well well. The written exams. With me on the team, we'll ace it! Thank goodness that this time my forte can actually help my teammates, unlike in the Chuunin Exams! Of course, it _does _seem too easy… There's gotta be a catch somewhere.

There are a lot of suspicious-looking faces here. I can feel so much murderous intent directed to me. But on the plus side, I feel that we're going to be making friends. Not all of them look hostile, after all.

Next chapter, _Brain Drain – Friends and Enemies. _

Will this end up just like the Chuunin Exams, or am I just paranoid?

* * *

**AN:** (1) Earth Skill: Earth Defense. Made up, and I'm not entirely sure about the romaji. Methinks it's wrong, but I hope you guys don't mind. 

(2) Flowing Chidori.

(3) Junior.

You guys may have noticed that I never showed the last two weeks of training. It's really because this chapter is too long to start with. But I'm going to be bringing in some flashbacks for you to enjoy. Anyway, as I'm running out of time, I'm thinking of updating every week for the month of May so I can move along faster, particularly because I'll be busy come June.

You may have noticed that the Chidori Nagashi seemed so easy for Sasuke to get. And you should also know that Naruto will be getting the RasenShuriken sooner than he did in the manga, and Sakura's training with Yamato (shown in a flashback in future chapters) will seem fast, seeing as she only had two weeks to do something about it. Let's just say that in my story continuum, it's a lot easier to realize these jutsus. This easier for me. I hope that it's okay with you.

Like I always say, I love lengthy reviews! So give me a little something of that.


	21. Brain Drain – Friends and Enemies

**AN: **This is the 21st chapter. I can't believe I'm almost done with this part of the epic! Including this chapter, I only need 10 more until I can begin the next part. Anyway, I hope that I can finish it within a few months… hopefully by September I can get started with the next part.

Anyway, some people have been asking me about whether or not Sai will be showing up, since Yamato did. Well, once and for all, I'm going to answer that: Sai will be appearing in the next part, where his appearance will be more relevant. I've always said that I like putting some of the new manga elements (the ones past chapter 280, I mean), so you'll be seeing some of the newer characters in this chapter as well. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about. You don't? Then just read! Heehee.

And as for Hinata being part of Naruto's team, it's really more of an excuse to have more NaruHina interaction. It sounds funny, but I'm not even kidding. I've had this team-up envisioned since the beginning of my epic, and I'm not about to change it. The Jounin Exam arc was the core of the build-up of the epic – all the events before and after were built around it, or else inspired by it. Which is why I was so excited in making it.

Also, remember that OC I introduced in the last chapter, named Okame? Well, disregard her. I edited her out and replaced her with a canon character named Aoba, who's a Chuunin. Someone made me realize that it's better to have a canon character if I can help it.

All right – let the longest arc of this epic commence! In this chapter, we'll be introduced to a whole new slew of OCs (I mean, come on, you don't expect the people to fight the same enemies, right?) and a new scenario. I don't want to give anything else away.

Thanks for the reviews, you guys! I was so happy – in 24 hours, I managed to get 40+ reviews! Now, I reached the 1100 mark faster than I expected! Actually, I didn't even think I'd get that much reviews in this span of time. It was more of me thinking that I'd probably only get at the most 25 reviews every chapter. So thanks to all of you who made it possible!

* * *

**Chapter 21: Brain Drain – Friends and Enemies

* * *

**

"Are you all set?"

"I sure am. It's too bad that we won't get to do a little interfering ourselves, yeah."

"It's not the time to do that. We're just going to do a little background check on the two Jinchuuriki we're going to capture."

The four silhouettes walked the dark labyrinth towards the exit of the hideout, anticipating the new challenge, however dull it was. It gave them something to do other than tend to the captured tailed demons, to stretch their muscles a bit.

"Damn. I wanted to have a little fun. I swear, you're so uptight, Itachi." Kisame stuck a pinkie into his ear and dug into it. "You're just the Leader's little pet, arentcha?" Tobi and Deidara roared with laughter, and Itachi's face creased very slightly in between his brows.

"Oh, do be quiet," he said. "I want to get the job done quickly."

"What," Tobi said jokingly, "so you can go cozy up with Leader's little niece?"

Itachi shifted his gaze from the front to Tobi's mask. It was a mere glance, but it was cold enough to stop Tobi in his tracks. Deidara could almost swear he felt the temperature drop as goose bumps crawled his skin, but Kisame merely grumbled. He was used to Itachi's little idiosyncrasies, particularly his denial of having deeper relationships with certain people, like Naosume, or his little brother.

"Let's just go, Itachi," he grunted. "I thought you wanted to finish this quickly."

The Uchiha genius closed his eyes, and calmly opened them again. "Aa," he murmured, and started walking quickly again. There was no time to lose – the Jounin Exams were about to start, and they weren't about to miss the chaos that would ensue.

* * *

The forest was cool and relaxing as the Konoha group went on with their journey to Hidden Gem, located in the South. The autumn air touched on their skins, but it was only cool enough to calm them before the storm. 

However, there was one person who didn't feel relaxed with the current situation. Kiba glared ruefully in the direction of his female teammate. _Or rather, my_ former _female teammate, _he thought grumpily. He felt that he and Shino they deserved more than this – to be left by Hinata, that is. _I mean, I know she's all over Naruto and all, but is that really any reason to totally leave us?_

Hinata noticed Kiba's barely hidden glare directed at her back (it was hard not to, since the glare was coupled with her own heightened senses) and decided to walk beside him. "Oh, Kiba-kun," she murmured, trying to soften Kiba's pout by gently smiling at him. "Do you really think that I'm abandoning you and Shino-kun, and Akamaru-kun?"

The Inuzuka couldn't stay angry with Hinata for long, and his baleful expression eventually melted. "I can't help it," he confessed. "You, me and Shino, and Akamaru, and even Kurenai-sensei, have been together for so long, I just couldn't imagine any of us deferring from the team."

Hinata blinked, then giggled. "I'm not deferring from the team, Kiba-kun! Please don't think that!"

"Then what are you doing?" Kiba demanded. "I mean, you decided to be in a different team, and you're telling me you're not deferring?"

"No, I'm not," Hinata explained. "This is my chance to broaden my horizons… so to speak. I want to prove to myself I can exist beyond being a Hyuuga and a member of Team Kurenai. It's moving out of my comfort zone to try new things. Plus, I trust Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan enough to let them help me with this move." She smiled softly. "But when this is over and done with, I'm coming back to you guys with all the things I've learned. I would never leave you guys completely, if I could help it."

Kiba considered her for a few moments, then shrugged. "Well, if that's what you want, then I'm fine with it. As long as you're part of our team-"

"It'll always be _our_ team," Hinata promised. "It'll never be my 'former' team."

Kiba grinned. "Good enough for me." He then put on a mock serious face. "Just be careful of Naruto. I don't want him trying anything on you." Hinata blushed, frowning at the brunet reproachfully, and he let out a bark-like laugh.

In the other part of the group walking the forest, Naruto was looking contemplative, and Sakura decided she should be concerned. "What's up?" she asked cheerfully, peering into Naruto's face, his blue-eyed gaze in the far-off distance.

"I was thinking," he said, "you know, that it was my birthday last week, but we never got to celebrate or anything. So I thought that maybe we could a party when we get back… because I really wanted to, but we got all caught up with training and everyone pretty much forgot all about it, even me."

Sakura began to laugh. "Is that it, Naruto?" she asked. "I thought it would be something totally serious, like the Akatsuki or something!"

Naruto pretended to be hurt. "Aww, you don't care about my birthday at all, Sakura-chan? That hurts, y'know!"

"That's not it, either," Sakura said, still giggling. "I was planning the same thing! You needn't worry about it, because I wanted to do something like that for you too! It'll be a huge bash, with all our friends, and we'll celebrate not only your birthday, but also finishing the Jounin Exams!"

"Yeah!" the blond exclaimed. "It'll be like a celebratory party when we all become Jounin!"

"W-ell, I wouldn't go that far," Sakura replied, chortling nervously. "I mean, we don't really know whether or not we're actually going to make Jounin."

"Oh come on, where's your faith?" Naruto asked, still grinning. "We're going to make it, believe me! We're just too good! Have you _seen_ us go against all the bad guys we've had to face in our entire lifetime? We're AWESOME!"

"Don't count your slugs before they're summoned," Sakura said cautiously. "We can't afford to be overconfident."

"I summon frogs, but that's not the point," Naruto replied. "I know we're going to be facing a lot of really good people, but if we just put our faith in our skills, we'll rock this exam! We'll even make Jounin!"

The emerald-eyed girl laughed. "Nothing can dampen your spirits, huh? Well, let's hope your optimism can get us to the top."

The group continued trekking the mountain range hour upon hour, sometimes converging in with their teams, sometimes dividing into clusters of individual interests. Currently, Neji noticed that everyone seemed to take the time to converse with their own teammates. Hinata, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were having a quiet conversation of their own; Shikamaru was in a huddle with Ino, Chouji, and Aoba; and Lee was preaching about youthful energy to his teammates – Tenten, Kiba, and Shino.

"Come over here, Neji!" Lee called. "You're the person who needs to hear about Gai-sensei's new principle of youth the most!"

"Give it a rest, Lee," Tenten joked. "Neji's too busy playing leader. All that authority is getting to his head."

"Oh, shut up, Tenten," Neji said, coming over to their group. "You've been teasing me about that for weeks. It tends to get old."

"Would you rather that I tease you about being the only Jounin in this group?" Tenten asked, smiling widely. "Because, trust me – I can make a lot of jokes about that too."

"Well, anyway," Neji said quickly, stopping Lee from launching into another speech about the springtime of youth, "we've already passed the border of the Mountain Country, and we'll be arriving at Hidden Gem soon. And," he added as Tenten opened her mouth, her eyes alight with mischief, "no jokes about being a tour guide either, Tenten." She stuck her tongue out in cheap retaliation.

The news spread through the group, and soon, everyone was loudly anticipating their arrival. "I hope they have hot showers there!" Ino exclaimed. "All this walking is making my skin sticky!"

"You worry too much," Shikamaru said simply.

"I want to freshen up!" Ino said. "Is it really a crime to not want to smell like a sand beetle-ridden hermaphrodite?"

Shikamaru was at a loss for words, completely clueless. "Uh, is there someone you're trying to insult, Ino?"

Ino huffed and crossed her arms. "Never mind. You're just so dense sometimes, Shikamaru."

Chouji laughed amusedly at the exchange, munching on some chips as usual. Aoba, a little more aware about the team's dynamics, asked him quietly, "Is this what you were talking about when you said something about a love triangle?"

"Let's just say Shikamaru can get a bit clueless as to how deep-seated the feud between Ino and Temari-san is," Chouji said amiably. "I doubt he even knows those two are fighting about him."

Soon enough, they could see the gates of their destination in the distance, and sprawling. The red tiled roof looked as if it was gilded with gold at the edges, and the wall was etched with artful swirls and marks. They joined the stream of other Jounin hopefuls who were converging from different directions, even as they were hundred or more meters away from the gate.

"For a new village, it sure looks grand," Chouji said, and everyone agreed. They joined the lines of Chuunin and their Jounin guides, waiting for their turn to get into the village. Finally, a shinobi with a diamond etched on his hitai-ate stamped all their passports and gave them maps of the village.

"Welcome to Hidden Gem."

* * *

If they thought the entrance was grand, the inside of the village was even grander. Another kunoichi lead their group through the village, pointing out certain buildings as they walked. "Here in Hidden Gem, we have rich mines and an even richer culture of artisans. Many civilians and even some shinobi make their living as artisans, and in the past two years we've been building this village, we have used these artistic skills to fall back on whenever the shinobi business is not doing so well. You can say we have a dual source of income here, both of which we do extremely well." 

She led them into a grand building with a powder blue tiled roof and white walls, standing about four stories high. The surrounding gardens looked beautiful and well-tended, with beautiful flowers at every turn. "This is the central building of the village," the kunoichi informed them. "The first two floors are taken up by the Academy students, while the third and fourth floors are used for transcription and archiving purposes, as well as the Yamakage's office, certain research labs, and the meeting rooms. You will be briefed about the Exam in the Main Hall of the Academy, in the first floor."

When they arrived at the briefing place, they found that there was already a lot of Chuunin from various villages gathered in the enormous hall, and even beyond it. Sasuke estimated about a hundred or so shinobi had gathered in the hall, with even more coming into the village. The atmosphere, which had been relaxed while they entered the village, suddenly became tenser and more suffocating. There was a hum of cautious conversation lingering in his ears, and many eyes furtively darted this way and that. He couldn't see one friendly face – which was just as well, because his own was far from friendly.

The Konoha shinobi gathered in one place, trying not to get mixed up with the other shinobi. Hinata fidgeted with her lilac jacket – she didn't do well in tense situations, and her only way of coping was to make herself as unnoticeable as possible, trying to make her moves slow and small.

This was why she blanched when she realized she had yelped out loud when someone tapped her shoulder. People turned to stare, and she shook her head and waved her hands, trying to convey she hadn't meant to startle anyone. She turned to look at the person who had startled her.

She was a strange looking girl – that much the pearl-orbed kunoichi could say. Her long black hair, flowing from out of a glittery head scarf, had greenish tinge to it, and her eyes were amber gold, with a certain catlike shape to them. She wore what Hinata could only say was a mix of gypsy and kunoichi styles, and a strange beaded necklace around her neck. But the strangest thing of all was that she had a couple of whisker-like marks on either cheek – _just like Naruto-kun's_, Hinata realized.

"Hey, I didn't mean to startle you," the girl said cheerfully, grinning (Hinata noticed she had rather sharp canines). "I was just thinking that you looked like the kind of girl who might like her fortune told."

Hinata stared while the girl whipped out a deck of cards from her weapons pouch. "Do I have to pay?" Hinata asked meekly, for lack of anything to say.

The girl laughed. "Heck no. I'm doing it for fun _this_ time," she said with a wink. "I don't do well in these boring situations." She sat down on the floor, caring less for the fact that she was drawing attention to herself. Hinata hesitantly followed suit. The girl shuffled the deck, explaining, "I will draw three cards, which will represent your personal past, present, and future."

She drew one card, and showed it to Hinata. "The reversed Ten Of Cups," she said. "You've had some conflict in the past, concerning a relationship. I'm going to take a guess at… filial. Correct?"

"That's right," Hinata said with a nod, watching the girl draw out another card.

She showed Hinata the card. "The Fool," she said. "You're trying out new things and trying to break the usual routine of life."

"I… yes," Hinata said, getting more bewildered and fascinated. Fortune-telling was never her thing – it was more of Tenten's. Now she thought she understood why this was the weapons mistress's favorite hobby.

The girl shuffled the deck and drew the last card, keeping it facing away from Hinata. "Are you ready?" she asked. "This card will reveal one likely path of your destiny, but you're welcome to try and fight against it, or go with the flow." She showed midnight-haired girl the final card. "The Empress," she announced. "It means that you're going to enter into a relationship, possibly romantic, with someone who holds, or will hold a position of power."

Hinata's cheeks became rosy red, and the fortune-teller laughed. "Did I get you thinking about that one?" she asked. "I'm guessing it really is likely to be romantic, now that you're blushing."

"Well, I kind of hope so," Hinata said earnestly. "I should introduce myself. I'm-"

"Hyuuga Hinata, former heiress of the Hyuuga clan of Konoha," the girl said. "Humbled to meet you."

"How did you know?" Hinata asked, impressed. "Is that part of your fortune-telling as well?"

"No, you're just famous that way," the girl said, giggling. "I mean, those eyes – kind of makes one think, you know? Anyway, my name's Nekotachi Midori."

"It's an honor," Hinata said, bowing deeply. "I've heard of the surname. You're part of that clan of gypsy ninjas, right?"

"Yup," Midori said. "We wander around the Lightning Country, and we've allied ourselves with Hidden Cloud, even if we don't live there. I'm taking the Jounin Exams with my Akai-oneechan, and my cousins Aoi and Shiro." She smiled. "Anyway, I'm glad to have met you, Hinata-san. It's nice to know one other friendly face in here."

"I feel the same way, Midori-san," Hinata said, smiling back. "I've been feeling tense about this place. It's nice to be put at ease."

As the two girls got acquainted with each other, finally relaxing a bit, Sakura felt the exact opposite. She could feel murderous intent heavy in the air, and what was more, a lot of it was directed at her. She felt uncomfortable – it hardly happened that anyone targeted her at all. Usually, it was Naruto or Sasuke, or Tsunade. She couldn't think of anything she could have done to anger anyone.

She closed her eyes and tried to feel from where it was coming from. She could feel it stabbing from one direction, and she turned her head there, opening her green eyes.

The moment she met two pairs of maroon eyes, she was certain it was there the killing intent was coming from. Standing a few meters from her, slightly obscured by the crowd, were two teens, a boy and a girl, both with sandy-brown hair, deep-set maroon eyes, and outfits that looked as though they had lived in the desert. _Suna shinobi,_ Sakura realized. She was sure that she had not angered anyone from the Sand – she knew she had a good relationship with Gaara and his siblings, three of the most powerful people in Sand. She had not even seen these two before. Why did they want to kill her?

Then it clicked.

_Sasori was from Hidden Sand,_ Sakura realized. _These two may have been affiliated with him. His students… or children, maybe. No, it's more likely he was their teacher. Do they want revenge?_

She decided to make it seem as if she had not realized this, and casually directed her gaze somewhere else. If they were looking to kill her, at least she could mislead them into thinking she was not on her guard.

"She noticed," the boy said quietly to his twin sister. "She's on her guard. This will make it harder to kill her."

"I don't care, Seikatsu," the girl said defiantly. "It doesn't even matter whether or not she's on her guard. She killed Sasori-sama. She deserves to die a painful death for taking away the person who mattered most to us."

"We'll do that, Shikyo," Seikatsu said soothingly. "But don't forget – we want to pass this Exam too. The higher up we are in the chain of command, the better are our chances of impressing the Akatsuki and being let into it. Let's do this with discretion."

Shikyo harrumphed. "I want to kill her now. But if you want it that way, then fine. We can't compromise our teamwork, either."

"That's the spirit," Seikatsu said, pulling her pigtails affectionately, and she slapped his hands in annoyance.

On the other side of the room, Sasuke had not noticed Sakura's discomfort, confronted with his own problem. He thought he had seen a few familiar faces, and upon searching for hitai-ates with a musical note etched on it, he knew he was right.

Gathered in one corner of the room were five Sound nin, one of which Sasuke knew he had seen before. _Juugo, the source of the enzyme that produces the Curse Seal,_ he thought. Instead of feeling threatened, however, he rolled his eyes. He had expected this much from Orochimaru, who probably knew he was going to take the Exam, but he didn't think that it would be that particular person. He knew about Juugo's sudden bouts of unwanted bloodlust, and it was probably torturous to him that he was surrounded by so many people he could kill but did not want to.

_I hope Orochimaru isn't planning on scaring me, because that would be just pathetic, _Sasuke thought. _Well, at the very least, this Jounin Exam is going to be more interesting than I could have ever hoped._

"Uchiha Sasuke's here, just as Orochimaru-sama predicted," a bespectacled woman said to her Sound teammates. "This is his last chance to get Sasuke before we reach the three-year mark. If that happens and Sasuke hasn't been recaptured, Taido will become Orochimaru-sama's body."

"Frankly, Karin, I don't care," a man with light blue hair and noticeably sharp teeth said carelessly. "I'm just here because Orochimaru wanted me to be. I don't want to be here with any of you."

"I don't like this either, particularly because you're here, Suigetsu," Karin said venomously. "But Orochimaru-sama honored me with this assignment."

"Why don't you just admit that you're happy that you get to see _darling_ Sasuke in all his bishounen glory and awesomeness?" Suigetsu asked accusingly, grinning in provocation. "That's the reason you're 'honored,' isn't it?"

"Grow up, you two," another woman said, her voice spelling boredom in every syllable. "I spend my days with genin brats who fight less than you do, and at least when they do it, I can threaten them with a jutsu or two."

"I guess we should listen to our 'jounin guide,' hey guys?" Suigetsu said amusedly. "You ought to get used to all the fangirling, Tsubame. Karin's going to be with us for a long, long time."

"You little-" Karin snarled, stepping forward, but Juugo and the man called Taido held her still.

"We can't fight among ourselves," Taido, a teen with white-blond hair and grey eyes, said quietly. "It's a stupid thing to do." Karin crossed her arms and bit her tongue to restrain herself. Suigetsu looked smug. "Let's just focus on the task at hand. But let's not talk about it here – let's just get through the next few Exams and plan our move while we're taking it. We have to pass them, though. We can't tail Sasuke if we can't even get through the rounds."

Tsubame fanned herself with an elegant gold and red folding fan. "All right – I'll be waiting for you guys at the end of the labyrinth. I'll make sure I have a plan by then." The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

The crowd began to part in the middle, causing a small commotion. Neji looked up from his conversation with Tenten and Shino to see what was going on. "What happened, Neji?" the brunette of the group asked.

"Someone's passing by," Neji said. "It's – oh."

"Who?" Shino asked.

"Remember that ambassadorial team sent to Konoha a couple of years back?" Neji asked. "The one from Hidden Glass?"

"Yeah," Tenten muttered, frowning darkly. "One of them was an arrogant ass who looked down everyone. Don't tell me he's here?"

"Yeah, he is," Neji replied. "And looks like he brought an entire entourage with him." True enough, there was a whole bunch of Glass shinobi streaming in, enough to make a small army.

"_Who_?" Shino pressed, his confusion evident even under his hood and sunglasses. The crowd had broken into murmured conversation once again, possibly because of the entry of such an arrogant looking young man, his electric blue eyes smug under his dark brown bangs with blond streaks.

"Hokujo Bokun," Tenten replied, still looking as if she ate something unpleasant. "He caused trouble in Konoha awhile back, I dunno if you've heard. He was sent by his village on an ambassadorial mission to Konoha, and his arrogant attitude eventually trashed any relationship with Hidden Glass because Tsunade-sama got so irritated with him. I don't know why he's still held in high regard by his countrymen – he's cost them a powerful ally, after all."

"There's probably some issues in Glass we don't know about," Neji said. "Let's not mind it. I do know that Bokun is a whole lot of trouble – I've heard that he's kind of powerful. Try to get through the Exams without aggravating him. It'll get messy if have anything to do with him."

Moments later, a door opened on the balcony overlooking the Main Hall, and from there emerged several people with Gem hitai-ates. One of them stepped up and called for everyone's attention. All conversation stopped, and all waited for her to speak. "Good morning to all of you. Welcome to the Jounin Exams, hosted by the Hidden Gem Village of the Mountain Country. In a few minutes, we will begin the first examination. Please line up by team at the three doors there, where you will be given a team number. Then sit down on your assigned places, and wait for the briefing for the first exam."

The shinobi in the room complied almost noiselessly. "I hope you don't do what you did in our first Chuunin Exams and make enemies of everyone," Sasuke muttered into Naruto's ear.

"I'm not _that _stupid," Naruto hissed back. "At least, not anymore."

"You had better not be. I don't want you costing this for all of us."

Naruto glared at Sasuke. "If that's a challenge, don't expect me to take it sitting down."

"No, I don't expect you to," Sasuke said, ending the conversation with a meaningful glance at him.

* * *

The registration ended, and everyone was now seated in their respective places. Their examiner was the woman who had given the instructions awhile ago. She was a stern-looking kunoichi, who looked as if no one could put any mischievous behavior past her. "The written exam," she began, "will test your problem-solving skills. There are three problems in the questionnaire, and you are given fifteen minutes to answer them all. All those who have wrong answers or no final answer for any question by the time thirty minutes is up fail this year's exam. The Jounin examiners will hand the tests to you now." 

"Well, we have Sakura-chan with us!" Naruto cheered. "We're going to get this, no problem!"

"I told you not to be overconfident," Sakura said, secretly pleased by the praise. "For all you know, I might not be able to do it."

The problem was handed to them, and when all were given the papers, the proctor said, "Start now."

The four of them put their heads together to read the first problem. "The four of you are trapped in a four meter-deep ravine, with twenty enemy ninja at either side of the open field, unaware that you are in the ravine, but are on orders to find and kill you. Among you, you only have five kunai, and can only expend minimal chakra for three uses of Kawarimi, with your medic only having enough chakra to heal two major wounds, plus for the use of Kawarimi. The safe point is in the trees fifty meters from the ravine. How do you escape into the safe point?"

They stared at the problem for a while, each of them with different depths of comprehension. "Isn't it enough to just run as fast as we can?" Naruto asked, speaking first.

"This is a general question," Sakura said, frowning on the paper. "Not all shinobi have the stamina that you have."

"Let's look at the next problem," Hinata suggested.

"You have been assigned to get a scroll from a shrine, but it is protected with a wooden encryption," Shikamaru read to his teammates, a few tables from Hinata and the others. "On the encryption reads 'All enemies may pass, but they must speak the word of friendship first.' There are blocks with syllables that will spell out the password. What is the password?"

"Password…" Ino said distantly, looking contemplative. "The clue should be in the encryption."

"The word of friendship?" Aoba asked. "Like maybe 'Hello,' or… 'Nice to meet you?'"

"Can't be," Chouji said. "That would be too random. Why don't we try the next one?"

"All right," Shino said, two tables behind Chouji and his teammates. "The third problem reads: In a hostage situation, the four of you are assigned to rescue the children and women inside. However, your orders are to rescue only one group of people and to wait for reinforcements, because of the risks involved in rescuing both parties. What do you do?"

"The children should take top priority," Tenten said right away. "They're more defenseless than grown women."

"But the women are civilians," Kiba countered. "They could just as easily be taken advantage of."

"The power of youth should be able to prevail," Lee said in all seriousness. "The children must be the top priority."

The groups argued and put out theories silently among them, while their jounin guides watched from the raised decks in the room. Neji activated his Byakuugan to focus more on his cousin and her team – he couldn't help but be partial to them. So far, they had answers on the sheet of paper, but they kept crossing them out that soon, their paper had become messy. He smiled wryly. His own Jounin Exam had been something of the sort as well.

He glanced to the side, and found that he was seated with several of the Hidden Glass Jounin. He hadn't told anyone, but he was suspicious as to the fact that there were so many Hidden Glass Chuunin in the exam. Hidden Glass was one of those villages that were falling into deterioration because there were other shinobi villages competing to serve the countries they themselves were servicing. Hidden Gem was one of them, and it was currently the richest among all the rival villages.

Neji knew that it could just be him and his paranoia, but he had seen these things happen. The exams could have been just a cover for the Glass nin to sneak into the village. He knew for sure that it was the same strategy that the Sand shinobi had used to invade Konoha three years back. Gem was an ideal target for a deteriorating village, after all – it had overflowing resources to be taken advantage of, and shinobi relatively new to the business. The brunet chief of the Hyuuga made up his mind to look into it. After all, Hidden Gem was a prospective ally.

"Only five minutes left," the proctor announced. "Please start finalizing your answers now."

"What do we do?" Naruto asked, panicking. "We don't have an answer for the third problem yet!"

"It's pretty easy, actually," Sasuke said smugly. All three of them blinked at him in puzzlement. "Just write what I tell you to, Hinata." The midnight-haired girl stared at him, then began taking down the dictation.

Five minutes later, the examiners began collecting the papers and correcting them. "Do you think we got the answers?" Ino asked Shikamaru. "I wasn't too sure about what we put down on the first question."

"Well, using Henge no Jutsu instead of Kawarimi with the minimal chakra left was the obvious answer," the genius replied. "The other information looked to me as if they were only put there for distraction."

"It was a viable plan," Aoba agreed. "Henge takes up about as much chakra as using Kawarimi."

In the other table, Lee and Kiba were obsessively discussing their answers as well. "The password was 'Friendship' all along?" the dog owner asked incredulously. "I still can't believe it until now."

"Well, if you look at it logically," Lee began, "The encryption read, 'Speak the word of friendship.' It meant to literally say the word 'Friendship.' Any other word would have been illogical."

"Well, whatever the answer is," Tenten said, a little exasperated with the roundabout conversation they were having for the past few minutes, "it's too late to change it now. Just keep quiet and wait for the proctor to tell us if we pass or not."

Meanwhile, Naruto was glaring at Sasuke, unhappy about the answer. "It was a really stupid answer, Sasuke," he said with an accusatory scowl. "I mean, it doesn't show any kind of strategy at all. It wasn't even in the choices!"

"There _weren't_ any choices," Sasuke retorted. "It just said, 'What do you do?' It didn't say anything about choosing between the children and the women. When you solve a problem, you do it at the source."

"Sasuke-kun's right, now that I think about it," Sakura said, nodding in agreement. "The source was the hostage-taker's gang, and to defeat them silently one by one was the best choice. The mission was to rescue the hostages, after all, and one way or the other, even if the order was to rescue only one group, in the end, both were saved because the team did something unexpected."

A little more time passed, and finally, the proctor announced, "We have the results of the written exam." The room became quieter and more attentive to her. "This exam, as the people who got the right answers found out, was to test whether or not you can think outside the box. To do something your enemies don't expect increases the chances of completing the mission successfully."

Naruto and his teammates looked at one another. "We definitely thought outside the box, right?" Hinata asked hopefully.

"It was more of finding loopholes around the questions," Sakura said, laughing. "Our answers almost sound like excuses. But yeah, it was thinking outside the box."

"With me are the names of the passers of the exam," the proctor continued. "There are 24 teams out of 46 that are moving on to the next exam. Those who are called should move to the next room for the next exam's briefing. Those who are not called will be barred from continuing this exam, but are welcome to stay and watch the rest of the exam progress."

She began calling out the names of the passers. "The Nekotachi team of Hidden Cloud," she announced. Hinata turned to see Midori and her teammates stand up and move to the next room. The gypsy kunoichi caught her eye and waved happily. Hinata waved back, her stomach flip-flopping as they waited to see if their names would be called.

Soon after, Shikamaru and his teammates were called. "See you guys," Shikamaru said as they passed by Naruto and his team's table. They waved back, and both sides wished each other luck.

The proctor called more names. Sakura noticed that the twins she had seen staring at her had also gone to the next room. She suddenly wondered if she should hope to pass the written exam – she certainly didn't want to see them again. After them, Lee and his teammates were called into the next room as well. "Well, that's all of the Konoha group, except us," Naruto said. "I hope they'll call us soon."

Neji watched the proceedings, breathing a little easier when Lee and Tenten passed through the doors of the next room. He also took note of how many Hidden Glass teams went through. He was a little surprised that seven teams out of fourteen passed. It was too much of a coincidence that exactly half of the number passed, Bokun's team among them.

Meanwhile, Sasuke watched as the Sound team went through the doors as well. He met Taido's grey eyes, and he could almost swear that he saw a small smirk flicker on the blond's face for a fraction of a second. Soon, however, they disappeared from his view. The number of teams in the room was dwindling quickly. He began to wonder whether or not all their efforts of preparing for the Jounin Exams were in vain.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the proctor called, "Haruno, Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Uzumaki."

Naruto grinned widely at his teammates. The girls smiled happily back, and Sasuke merely nodded. "I told you we could do it!" the hyperactive blond cheered, jumping up out of his seat and skipping into the other room.

The first hurdle was over.

* * *

"Oi, look over here!" a voice said from overhead. The people composing the 24 teams looked up to see a jovial-looking old man with the Gem hitai-ate, surrounded by serious-looking Jounin of Gem. "I'll go straight to the point, okay? The second exam is all about impressing me and my panel of judges with any technique you invented, or else made an innovation of. Just make sure it isn't anything we've seen. You'll be fighting Iwa Bunshin, and you'll be given points for the quickness of the Bunshin's defeat and the power of the technique. If not all in your team impresses the panel, the whole team goes down. Easy enough to understand, right?" 

Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata stared blankly at the old shinobi, as did two-thirds of the Chuunin in the room. He had spoken so quickly that most didn't have the time to register what he had said. Sakura, along with a very few others, seemed to be alert and ready. "Could you… um, repeat what he said?" Naruto asked his pink-haired friend.

"Just impress him by quickly beating his Iwa Bunshin with an original technique," Sakura droned, staring in space, trying to think of a technique she could use. "Easy to understand, but hard to do."

"What's so hard about showing his panel of old geezers an original technique?" Naruto asked dubiously. "We already have our own!"

"Think about it, freakin' idiot," Sasuke said snappishly. "If we show them a powerful original technique, it should be easy for any opponent of ours to think of a counter for them."

"We won't be able to use it in an actual battle," Hinata said slowly, realizing the consequence. "And we just learned about having the element of surprise, too. Should we start inventing jutsus now?"

"That'll be hard," Sakura replied. "If we think of a new jutsu now, we can only try it out in theory. We won't be able to practice it. No, I think that our best bet is to think really hard of an easy but effective original but tested jutsu _now_."

They were given fifteen minutes to theorize new jutsus, or else try to remember any move they had created in any of the battles they had done in the past years as shinobi. "I've thought of one of mine," Sakura announced, ending the contemplative silence among the four of them. "How about you guys?"

"I'm torn apart," Hinata confessed. "I want to use my only original jutsu, but that would mean showing my trump card."

"I suppose you'll just have to improvise," Sakura said. "Do you know any elemental jutsu that you can incorporate with your original one?"

Hinata thought hard. "I suppose I could… but… hmm… what if…?"

"Well, I have a technique I'd like to try," Naruto said. "I've been thinking of doing it for a long time now."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I suppose it will involve your Kage Bunshin, won't it?" he asked a little sarcastically.

"How'd you know?" Naruto asked with a suspicious scowl, missing the sarcasm. "I kept it a secret!"

"Just a wild guess," Sasuke said with a smirk.

"So, what about you?" the still scowling jinchuuriki asked. "Do _you _have a technique in mind?"

"I'm not likely to tell you, am I?" the Uchiha rejoined, still looking self-satisfied. "If I tell you, it would be stupid of me."

They were led to another large hall, and from the balcony, the looked down on an empty area divided into four. "You'll be demonstrating your techniques in one of the four areas, for a quicker judging," the head examiner for the exam explained. "Take care that you don't destroy the area too much."

Naruto leaned forward on the railing, watching the first four teams gather in the fight area. One of the first teams was Lee's team. "You go, Thick Brows!" he yelled, waving his hand enthusiastically. Lee gave him a quick salute.

_Here we're going to have our first taste of the physical strength of our opponents, _Sasuke thought as he watched Lee through his demonstration. _Just watching will help us glean information as to everyone's fighting style. _

Lee was about fifteen seconds into his demo, which was when he decided to bring out his new technique. He rushed to the head proctor's Iwa Bunshin with a speed that could have rivaled Sasuke's, and jumped up, spinning around in the air and kicking around his legs in a much faster and stronger fashion than Konoha Senpuu. He followed through with a punch just as his legs were connected with the Iwa Bunshin's head. The Iwa Bunshin dissipated.

"Nice," the head proctor said, grinning. "What do you call it?"

Lee grinned back with a 1000-watt smile, his teeth gleaming. With a thumbs-up, he said, "Dainamikku Konoha Senpuudan (1)!"

It was obvious that the proctor thought highly of his taijutsu technique. After Lee came Tenten, standing against a new Iwa Bunshin. "Start!"

Tenten didn't waste any time drawing out a smaller scroll than the one she carried on her back, and summoning a huge bunch of kunai. The Iwa Bunshin ran to her, and with twenty kunai in each of her hands, Tenten jumped as high as she could. Once she was high enough, she threw all of the kunai at the speed of bullets. The clone dodged the barrage, but the weapons mistress was prepared. With a flick of her fingers, she revealed that she had strings that connected the kunai to them, and Tenten quickly directed the kunai to wrap the string around the Iwa Bunshin. The wrap was loose enough for the kunai to embed into the Iwa Bunshin. Tenten pulled to tighten the wrap, and waved her arms to pull the Iwa Bunshin and whip him around in the air. She ended it with slamming the bunshin on the nearest wall, and it dissipated.

"Ouch," the proctor said, wincing. "That technique would be devastating to a real person. And what do you call it?"

Tenten drew her brows closer. "I haven't thought about it." Then she smiled slowly. "I'm thinking… Hagane Ame no Jutsu (2)."

"I like it," the proctor announced. Tenten beamed. "Next!"

It was now Kiba's turn. "C'mon, Akamaru!" The great white dog barked, and bounded into the fight area with his master. The Iwa Bunshin materialized, and Kiba jumped onto Akamaru's back. The Iwa Bunshin rushed in for the attack, and Akamaru put on a huge burst of speed. As they were near enough, Kiba suddenly leapt from Akamaru's back into the air, spun like a drill, hitting the Iwa Bunshin and dissipating it. "I call it Shirubakiba no Jutsu(3)."

"It didn't look complete to me," the proctor said. "Was it?"

"No," Kiba said, "but I didn't want to show everyone the entire technique."

"Hm… I give it points for efficiency and quickness, but it wasn't too impressive. But I see its potential if its completed. You pass. Next!"

Shino stepped up and rushed to the new Iwa Bunshin without preamble. He balled his fist and swiped it at the rock clone. The clone copied his movement and swiped a fist at him as well. Shino never landed the punch, but the Iwa Bunshin managed a hit at the bug user. However, the fist sunk into Shino's chest, and bugs began enveloping the bunshin's fist, and soon enough, it was covered with bugs. The real Shino was behind the Iwa Bunshin all along, waiting for the bugs' chakra absorption to reach completion. "It's Kikai Kansei Bunshin(4), a mere alteration of our usual clan technique."

"It's been a while since I've seen an Aburame do magnificent combos with their bugs," the proctor said, nodding. "I give you points for the silence and efficiency of the attack. You pass, and so does the rest of your team." Shino nodded, walking off, while Lee, Kiba, and Tenten cheered in the background.

Naruto watched Lee and his teammates move to another room, and another team took their places in the area. Sakura, meanwhile, watched the murderous Sand twins and their teammates demonstrating in another place. She found it strange that their teammates' moves seemed much too choreographed to be genuine. She watched the girl of the pair show the panel her improvised technique. It was a taijutsu move, and it was nothing too impressive, but she noticed that her brother always seemed to know what her next move was. And when it was the boy's turn, it was just the same. The way her eyes moved was as though she anticipated his every movement.

_It's possible that they just memorize each other's movements, _the cherry-haired medic thought, closing her eyes. _But it looks too much as if… one were controlling the other. Like the time when Chiyo-baa was controlling me when we fought Sasori. _

Her eyes fluttered open. _No way. They're puppeteers as well? _She watched them move into the next room, having impressed the judges enough. _It _does _make sense. I mean, if they're his students, they would be puppeteers. But they use those puppet jutsus on each other? It's way too weird!_

The girl of the pair stopped walking for a moment. Then, she turned to meet Sakura's eyes with her maroon ones, giving her a very nasty smirk. But it wasn't the smirk that made Sakura take a step back – it was the cold, vicious gaze she was given. She averted her gaze just as the girl went on walking into the next room. It was an ominous sign.

More teams went on to show their skills. The Sound team took their places in the fighting area. Sasuke watched them, vaguely aware of the techniques they were doing. He had seen a variation of all the jutsus they were showing, but the judges still seemed to think they were amazing. He was not impressed, but it did make him wonder – did they plan to take him by force, or would they try to convince him again? _They're hiding their true strength, _the Uchiha thought. _Orochimaru wouldn't choose them to chase after me if this is all they could do. _

The blond of the team was the last to demonstrate an improvisation of a jutsu. Sasuke, who had never seen him before, paid more attention. His eyes were closed, and the Iwa Bunshin ran towards him. The blond, Taido, opened his eyes.

The bunshin dissipated. The person who had made the bunshin fell to his behind, his eyes blank. "Wh- I can't see! What happened? I… help!"

Sasuke leaned forward to see what was going on, his eyes betraying bewilderment. _What did he do? Was it a doujutsu? _Medics began to gather around the person, still groping in thin air, still saying he couldn't see a thing.

The judges were in an uproar, and soon, the entire hall's attention was turned to that one Sound nin. Even his teammates were looking at one another. Only one, Karin, didn't seem surprised at what was going on.

"Why did you attack an examiner!?" one of the judges shouted. "You were only supposed to attack the bunshin!"

"My mistake," Taido intoned expressionlessly. "My genjutsu must have connected to his nervous system when I attacked his bunshin. Tell him to calm down. It'll be gone in thirty minutes."

"Should we allow this one to continue?" the judges were asking one another. "He attacked an examiner!"

"He says it was a mistake. We should let him continue. The jutsu fits the criteria, after all."

A quick debate among the judges ensued, and finally, a decision was made. "Fine," the head proctor said, all trace of joviality gone. He nodded to Taido. "You and your teammates pass this exam. Just make sure not to make the same mistake again. You may leave."

That one event unsettled all those who were left in the room. The remaining examinees weren't paid attention to by the others, and even the judges themselves were having a hard time concentrating on the person they were testing.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, knowing he was probably the most upset of all. The medic kunoichi realized that if the Sound was involved, Sasuke would be involved as well. "What do you think?" she asked him quietly, while he stared blankly at the demonstration being put on by Shikamaru and his team.

"I think…" Sasuke began, "…Orochimaru is pulling out all the stops."

"Are you going to do anything about it?" Sakura asked as they went down the stairs, their turn almost arriving.

"What do you think I can do?" Sasuke retorted. "I'll wait for them to make the first move, then fight them off when the time comes."

"I'll help," Sakura said firmly. "We'll all help."

Sasuke looked straight ahead. "As if I can stop you from doing so," he replied a little dryly.

Sakura giggled, despite the circumstances. "Don't be counting on it."

As they took their places in waiting for their turn, Hinata turned to look at Midori's team. They had all passed, except Midori herself, who was still waiting for the Go signal. The former heiress was quite interested to see what kind of technique Midori would dish out.

"Start!"

The Iwa Bunshin rushed to the greenish black-haired girl, who was holding her tarot deck in her hands. _What does she plan to do?_ Hinata asked herself, a little confused. _Is her deck of cards actually a weapon? _

She was answered right away. Midori nicked her thumb with the corner of a card so that the skin broke open, swiped the blood onto the card, and threw it at the Iwa Bunshin. While the card sliced the air, something came out of it. It was the very figure that Midori had shown her before – the Empress. The Empress's mouth opened, and as the card scratched the skin of the bunshin, the Empress jumped into the air and rained senbon from her mouth.

Hinata glanced at Midori, who was moving her fingers in synch with the Empress's movements. Hinata realized then that the Empress was a puppet. As soon as the bunshin dissipated, so did the Empress vanish with a _poof._ "So you're from the Nekotachi clan, eh?" the head proctor asked, looking fascinated. "Yes, I heard that your clan invented a tarot deck from which one can summon a variety of things. Weapons, puppets, and the like. But I also heard it takes great skill to maneuver the cards the way you did. I've never seen it done like that."

"Does that mean I pass?" Midori asked, golden eyes alight.

"Of course you do, young lady. Join the others in the next room, please."

Midori caught Hinata's eye, and the Cloud kunoichi gave her a V sign. The Konoha kunoichi smiled happily in return. "Good luck," Midori mouthed to her.

Finally, it was their turn. Sakura had taken her place at the fighting area already. The Iwa Bunshin was a few meters away from her. Sakura then began throwing kunai with little pouches attached to it. The rock clone dodged each kunai easily, but the pouches had flown open, scattering little petal-like paper bits in a two meter radius around it. Just as the bunshin went in for an attack, Sakura threw a kunai with a large explosive tag wrapped around it.

The tag detonated, creating a chain reaction with the smaller explosive tags, efficiently dissipating the bunshin. "And that was?" an examiner asked.

"Sakura Fubuki no Jutsu," Sakura said.

"Not many people know about this smaller kind of explosive tags," the examiner said, nodding. "It's a good choice of execution, what you did with them."

Sakura went back to where they were standing awhile ago, partially cleared to take the next exam. "That wasn't entirely new," Naruto whispered to her.

"No," Sakura said, grinning, "but the proctors have never seen it yet. I'm not about to show them what I can really do, just yet."

Sasuke now took his place in the fight area. A new Iwa Bunshin stood in front of him. As per usual, the bunshin went for the attack first, and Sasuke rushed headlong towards it, vanishing with the speed he took. He reappeared under the bunshin, kicking it up into the air. "Hey, isn't that the Shishi Rendan?" Naruto asked, now getting more frustrated. Why was it that his teammates were using techniques that they had already done before, and he had to think of a new jutsu? It wasn't fair! _Well, for sure, it won't be my fault if we fail in this part of the exam!_

"Just watch, Naruto," Sakura said, her eyes glued on Sasuke.

Naruto's jaw dropped when, instead of giving the bunshin the usual finishing kick, Sasuke took his sword out and drove it across the bunshin's stomach, making it disappear. He then landed without so much of a breath wasted.

"That would have been a critical hit or even a killing blow, if done on a real person," the examiner said. "It shows excellent efficiency. Is there a name?"

Sasuke thought for a while. Then, he said, "Shishi Kiba Rendan (5)." The proctor nodded, and Sasuke walked off without a word. Once he crossed glances with Naruto, he smirked. The jinchuuriki pouted. It really just wasn't fair.

"Good luck, Hinata-chan!" Sakura said enthusiastically as Hinata climbed up the fight platform. The Hyuuga girl gave her a nervous nod. She was about to try out a jutsu she had only worked out in theory.

The Iwa Bunshin began the attack. Hinata did a few seals, and concentrated chakra into her hands. Her chakra then became viscous. "Does that look like water to you?" Sakura asked Sasuke.

"It seems like it," the Uchiha said, watching the chakra in Hinata's hands become more concentrated. Then, when she had gathered enough water-based chakra, she whipped the chakra around, her slow but steady footwork looking as though she was dancing. The chakra hit she bunshin, creating long gashes around its body. Finally, the bunshin poofed into oblivion.

"Now _that's _an original jutsu!" Naruto whooped, jumping and pumping his fist up. Hinata gave him a grateful smile. Sakura clapped her hands enthusiastically, and even Sasuke had to stare. It was something that they had never seen Hinata do, not even in their training sessions.

"I've seen water whips before, but I've never seen it with chakra embedded in it," the examiner said. "Did you incorporate the water chakra with concentrated chakra, or is it the other way around?"

"I did it the first way," Hinata said. "I only thought about doing it… I didn't really think the effect would be exactly like this."

"It was a good improvisation," another examiner said. "I know that the Hyuuga are experts with concentrating their chakra when they incorporate their technique with their doujutsu, so mixing water-based chakra with it was something totally new. And it's called…?"

Hinata thought for a moment. Then, with a rare smile of confidence, she said, "It's Suiton: Suihebi (6)."

She got off the fighting area, and passed Naruto as he came up. "You were great, Hinata-chan!" he said enthusiastically, and Hinata blushed.

"Thanks," she said. "Good luck with your own demo." He gave her a thumbs-up and went on up the platform.

"Hinata-chan, how'd you do that?" Sakura asked, still amazed. "From what I thought from our training together, you could only do jutsus that involved concentrated chakra without any elements!"

"I didn't think I could do it, either," Hinata admitted. "But I know I'm a water type, though I never drew any strength from the fact. It was only when you suggested that I do it like so that I realized I could use my old jutsu and my water type chakra together."

They all turned to watch Naruto's demonstration. _I have to do this well, _Naruto thought. _Hinata-chan showed me what she could do. Sakura-chan and Sasuke, too. I can't let them down. _He stood ready as a new Iwa Bunshin materialized in front of him. _All right, let's get wild! _

The Iwa Bunshin ran towards him, and he immediately created two Kage Bunshin. One of his bunshin ran headlong towards the rock clone and grabbed its arm. He whirled it around in the air and let it fly. The Iwa Bunshin flew through the air, and the next Naruto clone caught in a punch. As the punch was in hang-time, the shadow clone kicked the Iwa Bunshin up into the air. The original Naruto had already jumped into the air, and was waiting with a chakra filled fist. As soon as he was close enough, he drove his fist into the Iwa Bunshin's stomach, making it dissipate.

"Whoa, I've never seen more than one Kage Bunshin made by only one person before!" the examiner exclaimed. "And only a few people can do the jutsu in the first place!"

"Having several Kage Bunshin _does _increase the range of taijutsu combos one can do," another said.

"You're given points for efficiency and power," the examiner said. "You and your teammates may proceed to the next room."

Sakura and Naruto grinned at each other, Hinata smiling in relief and Sasuke sighing with satisfaction as they walked off. They had aced the first two exams, and the way they were going, they were finishing the next three with flying colors. They were well on their way to becoming full-fledged jounin.

_But this isn't enough,_ Naruto realized as he followed his teammates into the next room. _I haven't done my best yet. I said I would rock this Exam, and I will, without Sakura-chan or Sasuke trying to tide me over all the time. Next time, it will be my own strength. It'll be me who's doing the contributing._

Naruto was growing, with every step he took, without even realizing it.

* * *

Neji began to breathe easily again as soon as he saw his cousin and her teammates walk into the third exam's briefing room. It was relieving to see that all the nins from Konoha had passed the second exam. He knew the exams were getting harder and harder, but he was confident that at the very least, he would see half of them end the exams as Jounins. 

His easy breathing was short-lived, however, as he saw Bokun and his teammates arrogantly saunter into the room. They had obviously passed, and so had, as Neji suspiciously noticed, half of the Glass nins who had taken the second exam. They were whittling down far too evenly, Neji decided. Something was definitely up – and he assumed it wouldn't be anything positive.

"Looks like one of our targets' going to be part of that operation of Hidden Glass we've heard so much about," a voice in the shadows mentioned, watching more people file into the room.

"Seems like it, yeah. They didn't waste any time taking advantage of the exams."

"Well, I'll be damned. I guess we'll be able to watch something really interesting after all. Y'think, Itachi-san?"

Itachi nodded. "Let's just keep watching," he said. "We'll keep an eye on the Nibi, while Deidara and Tobi watch the Hachibi. With this kind of trouble brewing, we'll be able to assess their abilities more before we capture them."

"And what makes it even _more_ interesting," Tobi added, "is that Itachi-san's brother is there with the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. Pretty good odds, don't you think? You planning anything for those two, Itachi-san?"

"No," Itachi said, the memory of their last encounter still fresh in his mind. He hadn't forgotten how close his brother was to beating him. It was true that he had challenged Sasuke do that, but he didn't want personal matters interfering with his mission, not when he could still help it. _But since my foolish little brother refuses to let the Kyuubi jinchuuriki out of his sight, and vice versa, it'll be hard separating personal matters with the plans of the Akatsuki. Besides… _His gleaming red eyes fell on the pink-haired female, who was laughing at something Naruto was saying. _I have yet to deal with that _other_ interference as well. _

Catastrophe was about to commence in the Jounin Exams, the Akatsuki knew, and Kakashi's students would yet again be thrust straight through the middle of it.

* * *

**Next chapter… **

**Sasuke: **The Jounin Exams are getting harder and harder, even more than I expected. Contrary to what Naruto may have said, the Jounin Exams are _not _a breeze, and can never compare to the Chuunin Exams. But don't tell Naruto that. He'll think _I'm _having a hard time, which is not the case. Not at all.

But how in hell are we going to find a way out of this endless labyrinth? How are we getting out of it, aside from having to deal with buttheads who keep trying to get in our way? Naruto and I, and even Sakura, have too much on our plate without those people bothering us.

Tsk. Must be nice to be Hinata, who can talk civilly to other examinees.

Next chapter, _Labyrinth – Race Of The Keys. _

No, Naruto, you can't have my tomato-stuffed onigiri. Go scavenge for your own food!

* * *

**AN:** (1) Dynamic Leaf Hurricane. Made up. 

(2) Steel Rain Technique. Made up.

(3) Silver Fang Technique. Yes, made up.

(4) Destruction Bug Trap Clone. Doesn't it sound totally made up to you?

(5) Lion Fang Combo. Made up. Of course, it was a weird kind of translation.

(6) Water Skill: Water Serpent. Yes, already, it's made up.

Well, like I said, I'm done in one week. That's what happens when you're cooped up in a house with no cable and no Internet for that span of time. You have no choice but to slave in front of the house's only laptop and work on your fanfic. I wasn't able to get to a place with Net connection in a week though, which is why it's only now I updated. Sheesh.

As usual, I'd like to know what you guys thought of the OCs. Were they Mary Sue-ish, did they sound realistic… all that jazz. But just so you guys know, I'm not going to remove any of them. They're all essential to the story. I just want constructive criticism of them.

You may have noticed that I skipped over with Shikamaru's team's second exam. I just couldn't think of anything for them. I already squeezed my brains out for Naruto, Hinata, Shino and Kiba, actually.

I hope I answered some questions with the appearance of this chapter. Don't hesitate to ask more, though. OH! I almost forgot. The fluff you guys have been asking for? Imma start building up some of that in this arc, but I'm leaving out the real fluff for the next part of the epic (which hasn't been written but has already been conceptualized).

Show me some love, people! And if you're going to hate, hate intelligently! Actually, I'd also love it if you guys put more than just "Nice chapter! Please update!" It gets a little saddening sometimes… Makes me think that you guys didn't really read. But then again, I'll take what I can get.


	22. Labyrinth – The Race Of The Keys

**AN**: I know, I know, it's been months since I last updated. But I can't help it! I was so busy with schoolwork, not to mention the fact that I didn't have anywhere to type this chapter in… well, let's just say I do know it's been a long time coming. I'll try to update more often, now that I have a laptop. Also, a bit of a tragedy happened. I had already typed out a huge part of chapter 22, but there was an error in the file and it refused to open. So all my hard work went down the drain and I had to start from scratch. Which is sad, really, particularly because I knew I had good ideas typed out in chapter 22.

And I ought to tell you too – I added something in Midori's character description in the last chapter. It's important for the climax of the fanfic. (Don't worry, it won't make Midori's role any more important – just the thing that I added.)

In this chapter, the Jounin hopefuls are taking the third exam, which takes place in an underground labyrinth. Hinata's placed in a bit of a spotlight in this chapter. This chapter, I think, may be the longest I've ever written, in honor of the longest hiatus I've ever been in. I hope that it'll more than make up for the hiatus. Please enjoy!

Thanks to all those who reviewed! I may not have been able to reply to them all, but thanks all the same!

* * *

**Chapter 22: Labyrinth – The Race Of The Keys**

* * *

Naruto was quiet. 

Hinata was watching him, as always. Sakura and Sasuke seemed not to have noticed, as they were deep in conversation with Lee and his team. Hinata felt concerned – Naruto was never usually this quiet, and when he was, it was mostly because something was bothering him. It wasn't just his silence, either – the knot on his brow and the slight downward curve of his mouth told her that he was anxious about something.

Hinata swallowed. Did she dare disturb him? She knew no one else would know that she would be embarrassing herself in front of Naruto, as the attention of the crowd around her were on various things. But one false move, she knew, and any form of interaction with Naruto would be endangered. Talking to him, truthfully, was a feat in itself, even if she had done it more often than before.

But she decided to take a chance. Talking to him in his contemplative state might make or break any relationship she would have with him. Even if it was just as friends. She reached out and gently touched his arm. "N-naruto-kun?" she asked in her softest voice.

Naruto snapped out of his reverie and glanced at her. "Hm? Anything wrong, Hinata-chan?"

_Good, he's not irritated,_ Hinata thought in relief. "Nothing's wrong with me," she said. "But… is there something bothering you, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto's expression softened. "Boy, am I glad you asked that question," he said, sounding as relieved as she was. "I was bursting to tell someone what I was thinking, actually. I just didn't… well…" His voice got a bit smaller. "I thought you guys might laugh at me."

"You can tell me anything," Hinata reassured him, secretly rejoicing that she had chanced upon him in that state. "I won't tell anyone, if you're uncomfortable about it."

Naruto smiled at her, and Hinata tried in vain not to blush. "You're a great girl, Hinata-chan," he said gratefully. "To tell you the truth…" He sighed, and began again. "I've begun to think that this isn't the best I can really do. I mean, sure, I passed the first two exams, but that was only because I had you guys. So now I'm thinking – what if I wasn't with you guys? What would I be able to do? Then I realized… I have to get better. Maybe I won't be as smart as Sakura-chan is, or as fast as Sasuke is, but at least, I'd be able to get on without them, you know? There will come a time when we'd separate ways, at least for short periods of time, and I'll have to learn to be without them."

Hinata took in all this insight, slowly digesting every thought. Finally, she said, "You're already really, really good individually, Naruto-kun. But I suppose you do lack something in Sakura-chan's field of expertise." Naruto laughed at this, and she couldn't suppress a small smile. "Maybe, if you took it one step at a time, then you'll eventually get it." She gave him an encouraging smile. "If you were able to take lead, at some point in this exam, maybe you can practice it."

"One step at a time…" Naruto murmured. "That's going to be hard for me. I'm used to taking leaps and bounds with everything. But I suppose there isn't just one way to everything."

"You'll be able to reach that goal," Hinata encouraged him. "I'm certain of it. I haven't known you to give up."

"I was never good at that," Naruto said, grinning at her. "Thanks Hinata-chan. You've been a pretty good ear."

Hinata colored deeply, and began to stammer again. "I-I-I… I… ah… I'm h-happy to help, N-naruto-kun!" she said, her pitch slightly higher.

"Oh, and Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, and the girl addressed lifted her head. Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "Would you mind not telling Sakura-chan or Sasuke what we talked about? They have to concentrate on this exam, and not on me, if you know what I mean. Sakura-chan tends to get worried unnecessarily."

Their surroundings started to silent down, and they all turned to the Gem shinobi standing in front of the room. "Settle down," the stern-looking shinobi said strictly, glaring pointedly at two kunoichi in the far corner who were still giggling between themselves. "The third exam, as you all might know by now, is a little trip into the labyrinth of the Gem village mines. These mines are located underneath us, in the mountain, and the entrances are around the two kilometer radius of the village. There are several entrances, and we can accommodate one team per entrance. We will be heading there shortly after this briefing."

"We are about to put our youthful energy once again!" Lee exclaimed excitedly to his teammates. Tenten hushed him.

"Let's just hear the rest of the instructions, okay?" Kiba asked, a little irritated and unused to Lee's constant posturing. "We might miss important points."

"The objective of the exam is to test your ability to complete a search mission under time constraint. Your task is to collect four keys, all hidden in the paths you will be taking in the labyrinth. You will search for them yourselves – there will be no maps or guides of any sort. The time limit is three days. If a team reaches the extraction point with no key, or only one key, they are not allowed to move on to the next round. If the team arrives with two or three keys, only two of the members may go on to the next round. If the team arrives with all four keys, all of them move on to the next round. You are welcome to steal the keys of other teams."

The Sound nins looked at each other, and Suigetsu grinned mischievously. "Looks like we'll have a bit of fun ourselves," he said, pointed teeth gleaming.

"We ought to focus on our mission," Karin said huffily. "We don't need to interfere with other teams."

"That's why you ought to have stayed on the East base, Karin," Suigetsu said, nodding in mock seriousness. "There's too much action going on there – the guard nins could use a bit of boredom."

"Karin," Juugo said warningly when Karin raised her fist. She gave him a frustrated look, but lowered her fist nevertheless. Suigetsu sighed in relief, but Taido's face was impassive through it all.

"The labyrinth is under the mountain," the proctor continued, "and any major change in its structure could result to some damage to the village itself, so we request you not to create major damage to the mines. You won't be damning just us – should the support of the mountain go down, you'll get crushed in it."

"Well, unless Chouji decides to ram himself against the walls of the mines, we'll be safe, right?" Ino asked.

"Hey!" Chouji exclaimed, his eyes narrowing. "What are you implying?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "I meant your Nikudan Sensha, Chouji. What do you think, Shikamaru?"

"We don't need to worry about the mines coming down on us, I think," Shikamaru replied. "There's absolutely no cause for any one of us to cause that kind of damage."

"At this point, please make sure that you all have the necessary supplies, food most especially. There are no foodstuffs in the labyrinth, save for the bats that roam in the mines." At this, the batch of Jounin hopefuls groaned. Over the din, the head proctor said a little louder, "You will also not be allowed to gather food in the village, now that you are here, which means you should have some kind of food supply right now."

"Do you really want us to freakin' feast on bats then?!?" someone yelled indignantly. "Is that really the point of this entire exam?" Everyone turned to the source of the loud comment.

It was Naruto.

Sakura slapped her palm into her face, Sasuke massaged the bridge of his nose, and Hinata hid her face behind her hands. Naruto was still glaring defiantly at the proctor, who was giving a stare of purest contempt. "Well, my little baby Chuunin," the Gem jounin said, "let's see how you deal with eating icky wee bats without giving up on the way, all right?" The others in the room laughed unpleasantly, but the proctor's glare was reprimanding, not at all amused. "Boy, you should've known what you were getting into when you signed up for this exam. As a jounin, you ought to know how to deal with whatever situation is thrown to you, even if it means letting go of some of your biases, or even just hunting down bats for dinner."

Naruto flushed, clearly embarrassed. He balled his fists – he knew the proctor was right. Out of all he had to learn, the one he had to learn most of all was to adapt to situations. He needed to be a little more flexible in his thinking and methods. Hinata patted his arm awkwardly to show her sympathy, and Sakura patted his back. His cerulean eyes met Sasuke's, and he saw a challenge in them: _Are you really going to take that sitting down?_

He yelled back, "I know what I'm getting into! And I know I'm going to ace it, because I can take whatever you throw at me! I'll do it and own everyone's asses too! You better believe it!"

The entire room stared at him. Even his teammates were staring at him in utter disbelief. _I knew Naruto would do something utterly idiotic_, Sasuke thought a little exasperatedly, _but I didn't think he'd_actually _try to make enemies of everyone in the room _again._And in the Jounin Exams, no less._ _Why do we even put up with this freakin' idiot?_

Finally, to everyone's surprise, the proctor smirked. "Those are pretty big words, boy," he said. "I'll be expecting you in the last exams."

Naruto looked surprised for a moment, then he grinned as widely as he could. "You bet your hitai-ate I'll be there!"

Shikyo and Seikatsu stared at each other, then at the blond Konoha shinobi. "Don't you think that was rather pointless, Seikatsu?" Shikyo asked her twin.

"It was," Seikatsu said, nodding. "But we needn't bother ourselves with such imbeciles."

On the other side of the room, Midori whistled approvingly. "Pretty brave of him, wasn't it, Akai-ane?" she asked her redhead older sister.

Said redhead shook her head. "Stupid, I should say. Inspiring everyone's ill-will against himself was not a smart move."

"Still," Midori said, noticing her new friend Hinata was the guy's teammate, "you gotta give him some points for his spunk."

The huge oak doors of the hall were opened, revealing the outside world again. "If you will please follow me," the head proctor said, "we will now be heading to the mines."

Naruto grinned. He enjoyed proving himself to just about anyone, but this time, the thought of being able to prove himself _to himself_ excited him more than any other challenge ever could.

* * *

A teen with purplish-black hair looked cautiously at the shinobi walking beside him. Said shinobi, who had dark brown hair with blond streaks in it, had a slightly irritated look on his face, though his aura was as smug as ever. The ebony-haired of the pair spoke up. "Everything all right, Bokun?" 

"Do I look okay to you?" Bokun replied darkly, glaring at the back of an orange-clad shinobi from Konoha. "I'm freaking pissed at that blond idiot from awhile ago."

"You mean that Konoha shinobi who was mouthing off?" Dangan asked. "I thought it was just empty talk."

"He looked serious," Bokun said, tightening his fists. "Who does he think he is, claiming superiority over everyone? Over _me_?"

"He placed too much stock on his own abilities, and he has yet to see yours," the raven-haired teen replied, more to keep Bokun calm than anything. It was never pretty when Bokun got mad. And it had been his job for a long time to keep Bokun happy, and he wasn't about to botch it up now.

He sighed in relief when Bokun unballed his fists and resumed his usual arrogant look. "I suppose you're right," he said. Then he smirked. "I do hope he passes this exam, though. I'd love to show him my power personally."

Meanwhile, Sakura pulled Naruto closer to her by the sleeve. When he was the only one within earshot, she hissed into his ear, "What did you think you were doing back there?"

"I was winging it!" Naruto protested. "I didn't really mean to blurt all that stuff out, but… I did!"

"It's not safe to make proclamations like that, especially in this kind of competitive atmosphere," Sakura scolded him. "Anyone whose pride has been hurt by those words could try to target you, and trust me, we have too much on our plate without that. Your burden is our burden too."

"Look, Sakura," Naruto said, "I said I was sorry. But things will work out. If that hadn't happened-" He took a deep breath he continued on. "If that hadn't happened," he continued, "this feeling in me… to want to prove certain things to myself… it wouldn't have reached this intensity." He gave Sakura blazing, determined gaze. "I'm more certain than ever about what I want. I want to push my limit, to go beyond what people say I can only do."

Sakura gave him a long, penetrating look. Finally, she asked, "You were thinking that, all this time?"

"I_do_ think sometimes, y'know," Naruto said, giving her a mock-hurt look. Sakura looked half-amused, half-dubious. "And that's what I thought about when we were waiting our turn for the second exam. What do you think?"

"I think…" Sakura began. She wanted to say so much – that he was growing up too fast for her to keep track, which was both good and bad for her, that if he kept growing, he would be able to reach his goals, but she would be left behind; that he shouldn't grow up too fast, because she would feel alone; that she was proud of him, even in his most knuckleheaded moments.

Finally, she settled for one statement. "As cliché as this might sound," Sakura continued, "I think that whatever you choose to do, the fact that you want it so badly will push you to keep reaching for it." Naruto smiled gratefully at her approval, but then grimaced when she knocked on his head. "But if you do that again, I'm going to pummel you before anyone else beats me to it."

Presently, they were lead by the Gem shinobi assigned to them to the entrance of the cave they were about to trek. "We'll be starting in a few minutes time," he said. "Please wait for my signal."

The four of them nodded, staring into the yawning darkness before them. The cavern was lit with torches along the cave walls, but they were few and far apart. Sakura swallowed a bit – she never liked the dark much. "Do you think we'll make it?" she asked softly. She looked straight ahead into the cavern, while her teammates turned to her.

"We're going to have to trust each other if we want to," Hinata replied just as quietly.

"Yeah," Naruto said, looking solemn himself. "We can't afford to destroy our teamwork or whatever. This is the last step before we go on to the really hard part. We'll make it, Sakura-chan. I can feel it." He gave her his most determined gaze. "We'll get there. It's a promise."

"I'll never get tired of saying this," Sakura said, smiling sheepishly, "but I wish I had your kind of optimism, Naruto." Hinata and Naruto laughed at this. "What do you think, Sasuke-kun?"

There was a moment's pause, then, Sasuke spoke. "I think," he said, "we ought to make Hinata the leader this time."

The wind blew silently past them.

"Are you _really_ Sasuke?" Naruto asked suspiciously, first to break the silence. Sasuke gave him his iciest glare. "Oh. Okay, it's you. But what the _hell_ are you thinking, letting someone else be the leader? I thought _you_ liked being leader all the time?"

"Hinata has exactly the skill for this type of thing," Sasuke said as-a-matter-of-factly. "She's our best bet as leader."

"Are you sure, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. "I mean… I'm not sure if Hinata-chan is ready for it. I mean, not that I don't think she's capable, but you thrust the responsibility onto her so suddenly…"

"Hinata, I'm sure, saw it coming, ever since we were told about the labyrinth," Sasuke said. "Her eyes are made for this purpose."

"Hinata-chan," Sakura said, looking at her friend concernedly. "What do you think?"

The midnight-haired Hyuuga was still stunned. This felt different from being the clan leader for a bit of a time. It was a different kind of burden. "I…" she began. She swallowed and tried again. "I'm… apprehensive at the prospect." She looked at Sasuke, expecting something harsh from him, but he merely looked at her, waiting for to speak again. "I… if you think that this is going to be… beneficial to the team, then… all right, I'll do it."

"You don't have to do it if you're not sure, Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed a bit worriedly.

Could she really do it? Hinata felt uncertain. The throbbing doubt in her spread through her veins like a slowly numbing poison. Naruto was right, she knew – she didn't have to do it if she wasn't comfortable with the notion.

But that was it. She was in a team different from what she was used so that she could experience being out of her comfort zone. Now that she was totally out of that zone, what was the point of not going all the way with it? If she was going to go on with this journey, she had to let herself learn new things, and this would be one of the greatest lessons she would learn.

Hinata smiled at Naruto. The idea of leading was actually growing on her, as the moments drifted by. "No, Naruto-kun," she said, her resolve hardening. "I'll do it. I'll lead you guys through this ordeal." She smiled confidently, something rather uncharacteristic of her. "I joined you so I could experience something new, after all. This will be my first time to lead a team. I hope you support me through it all."

Sakura grinned brightly. "Then it's settled!" she exclaimed. "From now on, Hinata will be known among us as Hinata-taichou!"

Hinata blushed, feeling pleasantly embarrassed. "Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed, putting an arm around Hinata. "We'll support our awesome among awesome Hinata-taichou to the end!"

Sasuke merely nodded. "So it's settled then," was all he said, and nothing more.

"Please get ready," the Gem shinobi told them. They readied themselves, as did the other teams scattered around the entrances of the mines. In the next entrance, the Sound nin tensed their muscles. On the other side of the mountain, the Nekotachi Four of the Cloud Country took one step into the darkness. In the entrance next to theirs, the Glass nin, including Dangan and Bokun, put their senses on alert. In the entrance next to that, Shikamaru and his teammates readied themselves, while two entrances from them, the team from Sand, composed of the murderous twins and their teammates. Lastly, Lee was stretching in his place excitedly, while his teammates looked on, half-exasperated, half-anxious. The players were all set – the only thing lacking was the go signal.

"Examinees-"

Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji and Aoba stood alert. Karin and Suigetsu stopped arguing and stood a little straighter with their companions, Juugo and Taido.

"-get ready-"

Midori, Akai, Aoi, and Shiro, of the Nekotachi clan, made another step towards the darkness. Seikatsu, Shikyo, and their teammates, from Sand, looked at each other and nodded.

"-get set-"

Dangan, Bokun, and two other Glass nin smirked at each other, facing the darkness before them. Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto cast the darkness grim but determined looks, knowing exactly what they ought to do.

"GO!"

"Oi! Lee!" Kiba yelled.

Lee had made a mad dash into the entrance, yelling something about the spring time of youth. A few moments later, he emerged into the entrance beside theirs, looking both surprised and sheepish. Tenten pressed her hand into her face. "Let Kiba and Shino do the leading, okay, Lee?"

The bowl-headed youth could only grin at her apologetically before the proceeded into the right way through the tunnel.

The game board was set, and now, the players were moving forward of their own volition, passing through possible death to attain uncertain victory.

* * *

Naruto's team had been traveling for nearly four hours when Hinata said, "I see water about three and a half kilometers from us. We can stop there and gather water." The others murmured their assent and continued on in silence. 

Presently, they arrived at the little spring. "Sakura-chan, maybe you can check if the water's potable?" Hinata suggested. Sakura did as she was told, letting her chakra flow into the water to sift through any poison that may be in the water, while Hinata scanned their surroundings with her Byakuugan. Presently, something caught her eye.

"The water's potable, all right," Sakura announced, before Hinata could speak. "We should gather the water now."

"Let Sasuke-san and Naruto-kun do that," Hinata said. "I see our first key."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura gave a start. "Let's retrieve it!" the blond of the trio exclaimed.

"No… wait," Hinata said, scanning further. "A couple of Sand nin are closing in on the key as well. We'll have to move fast." She noticed that Sakura shuddered almost invisibly, and she wondered what about the Sand nin could possibly make Sakura afraid.

To her surprise, the bubblegum-haired nin said, "I'll go with Hinata-chan. You boys stay here and gather our water. Those Sand nin should be easy to deal with."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other. They, after all, had an unspoken policy of letting Sakura do what she wanted as long as it wouldn't mean endangering her life. "Well… okay," Naruto said, after a nod from Sasuke. "We'll stay here. You girls take care." Hinata nodded and the girls took off running into the path where the key was supposed to be. Sakura followed Hinata wordlessly.

However, her mind was in turmoil. _I have no doubt in mind that the Sand nin racing us to the key are those two giving me those evil looks, _she thought. _Half of me wants to go see exactly what their skills are, but half of me says I'd better hold off confronting them until the next exam – _if _I even get that far. But we're on our way already. I have a feeling our meeting will be inevitable._

"Sakura-chan?" Hinata asked softly, unease clouding her moon-like face. "You've been looking bothered since I mentioned who our opponents are. Is there something wrong?"

"I don't really know, Hinata-chan," Sakura said, and that was half-true. She had only a bit of an idea why the two Sand nin were angry with her. "I just have… a bad feeling about it, that's all."

Hinata pointed to a stalactite ahead of them. "There, Sakura-chan!" she exclaimed. "If you could blast through-"

"No problem!" Sakura said, gathering chakra into her hand. She leapt towards the stalactite and aimed her fist. The rock crumbled as her fist made contact, revealing the key hidden in its core. Hinata caught it as it fell towards the ground.

"Got it," she said, smiling in relief.

"Looks like we were beaten to it," a sweet, girlish voice said, from ahead of them.

The owner of that sweet voice, however, was looking anything but sweet. Hinata stared ahead, saying several strings of curses in her head she would have never said out loud, for their dillydallying. Their two opponents, a boy and a girl in matching outfits common among Sand nin, merely smirked in triumph. "Do you intend to fight us for the key?" Hinata asked, her voice stronger than she imagined it could be. "We won't give it up so easily."

"We have absolutely no reason to let you go too easily either," the male of the pair. "After all, you knew it was coming, right, _Haruno__Sakura-san_?"

Hinata's eyes were huge with surprise. "Sakura-chan, you know these two?"

Sakura, to her further amazement, looked unsurprised at the way she was addressed. "These two have been watching my every move since the exam started. What do you want?" she demanded, addressing the pair. "Tell me now, before anything else."

The girl giggled. "Oh, Sakura-san. Are you really as dumb as you look? I thought that you'd be a little smarter than that, given the size of that billboard right here." She pointed to her own forehead for emphasis, and Sakura's clenched fists trembled. Her face, however, remained calculating. "We're from the Sand. Surely you recall only one Sand shinobi with whom you have had some kind of conflict with."

"As I thought," Sakura said, her voice quiet. "You've come to me because of Sasori. I'm sorry to tell you, though – he threw away his village. He threw away the love of those who were left behind. Therefore, I didn't consider him a Sand shinobi." Her heart clenched – talking of Sasori in such a manner reminded her of a similar incident that had once involved her, on that one windy night.

"He threw away a weak village to make himself stronger," the boy said, his voice devoid of emotion, while his sister looked furious beside him. "You have only angered us more by speaking so carelessly about Sasori-sama."

"Let's kill her now, Seikatsu!" the girl hissed venomously, poised to strike.

"Patience, Shikyo," Seikatsu said soothingly to his sister. "We strike when we're ready to strike."

"I hate it when you make me wait," Shikyo said, glaring at her brother. "I hate making her wait this long for her eventual demise, too."

_They're truly Sasori's students,_ Sakura thought. _They seemed to have picked up traits that Sasori himself used to have._ Out loud, she said, "Why avenge him? Why not let him rest? He has acquiesced his defeat when he told me the whereabouts of a certain person I needed to find. Why not leave it at that?"

"You're insolent!" Shikyo screeched, her teeth bared. "Do you really think that we'll let it rest like that? Sasori-sama gave us our_lives_. We won't stop until we kill the one who helped killed him!"

"You're foolish to assume that Sasori-sama could mean just so little to us," Seikatsu added, his smoldering maroon eyes alight with unspoken anger. "How would you feel if the only one who ever cared about you suddenly disappears? You'd want to avenge that person. Don't hide behind your so-called morals, Sakura-san. An eye for an eye is human nature. Human souls thrive upon seeing vengeance dealt to those who wronged them. You'd do what we are doing for the person you care about the most."

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but she could not find words to say. What could she say, after such words of solid hatred? _It sounds as if it was right, too. If it came to that… If any of my loved ones were harmed, would I become bitter and chase after revenge? Is it because I haven't experienced such a bitter loss that I can't understand the concept of revenge?_

"You're wrong."

Sakura and the twins they were facing turned to Hinata, who had spoken after that long moment of silence. "You're wrong," she said a little louder, her voice wavering a bit, but still strong. "Humans are basically kind – kindness is their deepest nature. Circumstances and outside influences just… corrupt their inner being, that's all. Revenge isn't the answer to everything. Rather, it's a roundabout problem with no solution."

The three other nin present there with her gaped at her. Finally, Shikyo spat, "What do _you_ know, you spoiled Hyuuga brat? You know nothing, _nothing_ about the kind of life we've been leading! Don't speak as though you know what we've been through!"

"Shikyo," Seikatsu said in a warning tone. "That's enou-"

"I'm tired of waiting!" Shikyo screamed, and lunged at Sakura. Seikatsu gave a small 'tsk' under his breath and readied himself to help his sister.

Shikyo aimed a kunai at Sakura, who dodged right away. But as she dodged to the left, Seikatsu appeared beside her and gave her a kick aside. Before Sakura could recover, however, Shikyo had appeared from behind her and aimed a kunai tainted with poison at her neck. She couldn't dodge in air, she realized, and braced herself. Hinata sprang into action, grabbing Sakura by the waist, away from the female twin. "You okay?" Hinata breathed. Sakura nodded.

"What now, Seikatsu?" Shikyo asked, looking at Hinata with utter contempt. "Shall we dispose of Hyuuga-san as well?"

"We might have to, if she chooses to ally herself with Sakura-san," Seikatsu muttered.

Hinata's brow creased, and readied herself for any attack. However, Sakura raised her hand. "Let's work out a deal," she said, her face quite calm, but Hinata knew Sakura's heart was pumping like a nervous mouse's.

"You!?" Shikyo asked incredulously. "You're in no position to strike deals with us!"

"No," Sakura said, her face grim. "But this deal has some advantages for you as well as me. You have not shown your real skill – I can't make any plans to defeat you for myself. The same goes for me, though I'm sure you've researched a bit on who I am."

"What are you leading to?" Seikatsu asked, his tone suspicious.

Sakura looked him straight in the eye expressionlessly, hoping that her eyes didn't betray the fear she felt. "Let's do this fair and square, with other people watching. We'll do this in the matches to follow, once we get out of this mine labyrinth. You have no real need to dispose of me as soon as possible, am I right?"

"What makes you think that we'll readily accept it?" Shikyo asked, her face still malevolent. "You're stupid to assume-"

"I think it's a good idea," Seikatsu interrupted quietly. "If Sakura-san needs a few days to say goodbye to the world, I don't see why we shouldn't allow her. She's going to die, anyway. In any case, the idea of humiliating her in front of everyone before killing her appeals to me."

Hinata's heart clenched. These people were serious about taking Sakura's life, it seemed to her. She wanted to say more on the matter, but she knew it wasn't her business, nor was it in her nature. She bowed her head._This exam shouldn't have gone this way._

"I still don't agree," Shikyo said. "Why should we let her go now? You're way too honorable, Seikatsu. We shouldn't let her wait for her demise. Either way, she's going to die. Let's kill her now!"

Sakura plucked the key they had retrieved gently from Hinata's hands. "If I still haven't convinced you," she said, holding out the key, "then take this key. This is a promise that I'll face off with you, one way or the other."

"Sakura-chan!" Hinata exclaimed apprehensively. It was bad enough that Sakura was handing the key over – but why was she submitting to the challenge of these two Sand nin so easily?

"We'll find another one," Sakura reassured her, giving her a cheerful smile. "I'm not one to back down on my promises, even ones made to enemies." She turned her attention back to the twins. "Is it a deal, or do you have some other proposal?"

Shikyo grudgingly grabbed the key from Sakura's hand. "Don't expect to live through this," she said, her voice dripping with poison. "Come, Seikatsu."

The two walked away without any further trouble, Seikatsu glancing back at Sakura with an odd mixture of respect and hatred. Hinata squeezed Sakura's hand, but whether or not to reassure Sakura or herself, she didn't know. "Sakura-chan…" she murmured worriedly.

"Hey, Hinata-chan?" Sakura asked softly, still looking towards the path where the twins had disappeared into. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"A-anything to help!" Hinata exclaimed softly.

Sakura's gaze dropped to her shoes. "Please… don't tell Sasuke-kun and Naruto about this."

Hinata took a while to register the thought. "W-what? But why? Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san would be incredibly worried about you!"

"That's why I want you to keep it a secret," Sakura said, giving Hinata a faint smile. "I can't let them worry about me too much – it was already a mistake to have you know the situation. I have to deal with this alone."

"But Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san would want to know!" Hinata protested. "Please, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura shook her head. "Those two Sand nin will keep on chasing me, whatever I do. I can't drag anyone into this – they came for me and me alone. Please, Hinata-chan… may I have your word?"

"I…" Hinata hesitated. She didn't want this, but this was the only help Sakura wanted to accept. "All right. But please, Sakura-chan, I implore you – please live."

Sakura smiled, satisfied with Hinata's answer. "I'll try my best, Hinata-chan. Come on… don't give me that face. You know I will." She spent a few seconds in contemplative silence before saying briskly, "Let's get back to Naruto and Sasuke-kun. When we get there, we tell them we lost the key to another team, but let's make sure we find another one to replace it."

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the elaborate paths that made up the labyrinth, four other Konoha shinobi trudged the darkness, their light being the fire-lit torches on the wall. 

"Shika!" Ino whined, her voice echoing in the narrow cavern, which was only wide enough to let three people walk side by side, and tall enough to let a six-foot person brush his head against the ceiling. "We've been walking for hours! Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Of course we are," Shikamaru said, frowning at her. "We haven't gone through any paths that have been split, right? We just keep going straight and worry when we reach a fork." Ino pouted, but nevertheless complied. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "So troublesome."

They traveled further, meeting no obstacle and dodging traps. Once or twice, Shikamaru checked if their surroundings were covered by genjutsu, but they were safe for the moment. "It's almost nearly suspicious we haven't fallen into any trap at all," Chouji commented.

"Yeah, it's strange," Aoba said. "We passed the last trap about a hundred meters from were we a-"

A loud rumble echoed in the darkness, unsettling the four Konoha shinobi. "What was that?" Ino asked. "It sounds so much like someone breaking through something."

"Is it another team?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't think so," Ino replied, trying to feel around for sinister chakra. "It's probably just-"

The ground shook. Ino toppled into Shikamaru's grasp, while Chouji landed on his rump. Aoba had managed to hold on to a stalagmite. "What was that?" he asked in an urgent whisper.

"I don't know," Shikamaru replied, looking a bit dazed himself, steadying Ino on her feet. "But whatever it is, we'd better start running before we get caught up-"

The cavern rumbled again, and this time, bits of dust began to fall from the ceiling. "Shikamaru!" Ino cried. "Shouldn't we run?"

"You don't have to wait for my approval!" Shikamaru barked, taking off in a sprint, pulling Ino and Chouji with him, as Aoba ran ahead of them. The ceiling was now breaking apart into larger pieces, and they could be crushed if their luck ran out.

As the ceiling fell from behind them, Chouji's eyes caught a gleam of something shiny. He turned to look again, and he saw the much-coveted key getting detached from the ceiling, the first of four they would have to find. The redhead Akimichi wrenched his hand from Shikamaru's hand, and molded his chakra to make his hand bigger and longer.

"Chouji!" Ino shrieked. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"A key!" Chouji called back, snatching the key from its place.

The cavern was collapsing, and as Chouji's arm became smaller, he soon found himself nearly trapped by the rocks. He scrambled to get out of the way, but he was too slow, the ceiling threatening to crash down on him. Shikamaru, noticing just in the nick of time, stopped in mid-sprint and turned back to help Chouji. "Shikamaru!" Ino cried out, to no avail. She tried to follow them back, but Aoba held her by the shoulders. "Ow! Let go!"

"Let them handle it!" Aoba advised her.

Ino watched in horror as the chances of Shikamaru and Chouji getting away from under the falling cave ceiling became smaller. "Screw it all!" she growled, wrenching herself free of Aoba's grasp and ran forward to help her teammates. She reached Shikamaru, who was pulling Chouji from behind him. She grabbed Shikamaru's hand tightly, and gave an almighty tug.

They all toppled forward, panting, Chouji's pant leg inches from being stuck under a rock. "Ino…" Shikamaru breathed, relieved that his life had not ended on such an ugly note, thanks to their blonde teammate. She grinned at him and Chouji tiredly.

But they weren't out of danger yet. The ceiling was still shaking, dust raining down on them. Then it cracked. "OI!" Aoba, who was now in a disjointed cavern with a higher ceiling, yelled in warning.

They couldn't run, being rooted to the spot. Aoba's terror peaked when the ceiling finally gave way on all three of them. His scream got stuck in his throat as he stared at the pile of boulders covering Team Asuma. _Are they… dead?_

The rocks began shifting, and to Aoba's relief, Chouji's enlarged hands knocked the rocks away. He had covered himself, along with his two teammates, with his giant hands, now bruised. "You guys didn't have to go after me like that," Chouji said, smiling amiably at them.

Shikamaru sighed again, and Ino pouted. "We were worried!" she exclaimed. "Of course we'd do that!"

The three finally converged with Aoba in the adjacent cavern. "What happened to the key?" Aoba asked, after making sure no one was mortally hurt.

Chouji's eyes widened as he searched himself for the key. "Oh, shoot," he mumbled.

Ino, however, was stilling grinning. "Looking for this?"

She dangled the shining silver key from her finger. "Nicely done, Ino," Shikamaru said appreciatively.

"Looks like you needed us, after all," Ino commented. "You would've lost the key by yourself." Chouji laughed as they set off walking again.

"But I wonder what could have caused a ceiling collapse like that," Shikamaru said contemplatively, frowning in space. "There's no way a trap could be _that_ devastating."

"Who cares!" Ino said nonchalantly, as if they had not narrowly escaped death moments ago. "We got out of it alive, we got our key, and we're on our way again!"

Shikamaru nodded, but somehow, he could not let go of the notion that it had been something very unnatural, at least for the Jounin Exams.

* * *

Dangan watched Bokun as he broke through the barriers of the cavern, and grimaced. It was hardly a rewarding job to look after the most dangerous person in the Glass Country, but, at the very least, the pay was good. But as he watched the young berserker barrel through the labyrinth with an Earth jutsu, he began to think – was his mission fee really sufficient enough to watch Bokun be reckless, arrogant, and uncivilized? 

He glanced at their two other teammates, who looked as though they were hovering between satisfaction and apprehension. Sure, Bokun was making things easier for them by breaking through the labyrinth (and probably eliminating opponents in other paths in the labyrinth), but if he made one false move, they would get crushed in the rubble with him.

"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Dangan asked. "I mean, even_you_are not above the rul-"

His voice got stuck in his throat as Bokun glared at him darkly, the murderous aura enveloping him and their two teammates like poisonous gas. "Are you telling me a person of my strength is still bound to something so petty as rules?" he asked, hostility oozing from each syllable.

"Not at all," Dangan replied quickly, and the aura dissipated. Bokun's caretaker sighed in relief as Bokun resumed demolishing their part of the labyrinth to get to the goal quicker, picking up keys on the way. The best way to calm Bokun was to feed his ego, after all. Bokun was prideful, selfish, and narcissistic, and Dangan was the best person to be his caretaker, as he was the exact opposite. _But,_ he thought then, _I don't know if my heart can take everything Bokun dumps on everyone._

He sighed. _I wonder if all the jinchuuriki act like him._

* * *

"You lost it?" Naruto asked incredulously. "But Sakura-chan-!" 

"Knock it off, Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "We still have a couple of days to look. It's only been five hours in the labyrinth – it was actually much too lucky of us to find a key that easily. I suppose that's why we lost it right away."

They were traveling deeper into the labyrinth, Hinata's eyes guiding them through the dark paths. By Sasuke's estimation, it was already early evening in the outside world, and they ought to have dinner. It was a good thing that Naruto had not completely removed all of his ramen packets from his bag, and they had, at least, a sure dinner and breakfast.

Sasuke was watching suspiciously as Naruto lamented the lost of their first key, while Sakura berated him for lamenting. It was odd that Sakura had lost it, when she came back barely scathed. _If they got the key first, the other team should have fought them for it, and they should be dirty from fighting. If the other team got to the key first, then they should have fought the other team for it. But it looks almost as if they handed the key over willingly._

Hinata, from what he observed, also looked troubled and bursting to tell him and Naruto something, though when Naruto asked her what happened, she had referred him to Sakura for the whole story. All Sakura had said was that the other team, from Sand, took the key from them, and they hadn't had the time to react. _Something tells me they're hiding something._ He looked at Sakura, Naruto and Hinata under lidded eyes and took note of all that seemed wrong.

_They're hiding it very well, _he thought. _I guess females are the better actresses, after all. Still… even if Sakura won't tell us, I'm certain I can convince Hinata to._

"I'm detecting a key a little further from here," Hinata said quietly, interrupting Naruto and Sakura's banter. "I think it would be best for me and Sasuke-san to get it this time – it looks like it's encased in ice and we'll need to defrost it."

Here was Sasuke's opportunity, and he agreed immediately. "So what do Sakura-chan and I do?" Naruto asked.

"Cook dinner," Sasuke replied, his smirk ironic. Naruto puffed his cheeks out at the task set before him.

"Hinata-taichou!" he whined at Hinata. "Why does Sasuke have to order me around?"

The addressed girl giggled beneath her blush. "Naruto-kun, you know better than to complain."

"Let's get cracking, Naruto," Sakura added, sighing. "At least we get to filch from Sasuke's share of the food."

The blond jinchuuriki grinned. "I like the way you think, Sakura-chan."

Sakura winked. "I learned at least _something_ from you, after all."

The Uchiha heir and the former Hyuuga heiress went into the darkness (after Sasuke had made a fire for the ramen, that is), going into a path where there were no lighted torches. Sasuke did a small jutsu, wherein a flame flickered from the tip of his left index finger. Hinata led him silently.

Sasuke decided that it was time to start. "Hinata," he droned.

"Yes, Sasuke-san?"

"What happened with you and Sakura back there?"

The only thing Sasuke could see of Hinata was her back, which tensed a bit. "We lost the key to the other team, that's all," the dark-haired kunoichi said, a little too cheerfully for it to seem true to Sasuke. "We were careless, but I'm sure we'll be able to find a new one!"

In an expressionless, but vaguely accusing tone, Sasuke pressed, "Are you sure _nothing_ else happened?"

"N-nothing else, Sasuke-san!" Hinata stammered. "More importantly, w-we're nearly at the location of the key and-" She paused, tensing much obviously this time. "And there's a couple of Sound nin racing us to it."

Sasuke gave a small "Tch!" of irritation, distracted from interrogating Hinata. "They're _really_asking for it, aren't they," he muttered under his breath.

"Nearly there, Sasuke-san!" Hinata informed him. Sasuke didn't need telling – he could feel the cavern's temperature dropping as they went further, and soon, he caught sight of the key embedded in the sparkling ice.

"Get out of the way!" he warned, building up chakra into his lungs. Hinata jumped out of harm's way as Sasuke blew a grand fireball at the encasement. The cavern was soon covered in steam as Sasuke blew a couple more fireballs to melt the ice completely. Finally, the key was ready to be grabbed.

As Hinata jumped to detach the key, still clinging to the ice, she saw that one of the Sound nin she had spotted had jumped up as well and was reaching out for the key, like her. The dark blue-haired Hyuuga decided in a split second and aimed a string-attached kunai at the key. The string wrapped around the key faster than the Sound nin could get it, and soon, she landed back on the slippery cave floor, the key in her hand.

The job wasn't done yet. Sasuke had just dodged the barrage of kunai the other Sound nin threw at him and was now engaged in a full-blown battle in the small space of the cavern. She put the key in her pocket and faced the Sound nin she had come face to face with – she now saw he had white-blue hair and sharp teeth like a barracuda, and strapped to his back was a gigantic sword that looked as though it was made to slice heads clean off the necks.

She readied herself, molding her chakra with the water. "Ah, you're a water type too!" the Sound nin, Suigetsu, said cheerfully, grinning rather mischievously at her. "Let's see which one of us can handle it better, then."

Hinata merely glared at him, but she knew her elemental jutsu would be nothing compared to what she suspected was a seasoned Suiton user. _I've only learned of my element today – there's no way I can win using it. But if I combined its use with Jyuuken, I might still stand a chance. _They ran forward to each other, Hinata's palms aloft, dodging the large swing of the sword.

In the meantime, Sasuke was facing off against the second Sound nin, who had white-blond hair and grayish-blue eyes. _I've never seen this guy before – he must be from one of the Sound outposts_, the Uchiha thought. _All I know about him is that he uses some kind of doujutsu. It seems that it has a similar effect to the Mangekyou's Tsukuyomi._ Itachi's face flashed in his mind's eyes for a brief second, and the need to do something vigorous escalated. "What sort of message does the Snake Bastard have for me this time?" he asked nonchalantly as he formed a battle plan in his mind. "Whatever he's planning, you can tell him to shove his face into one of his snakes and leave me alone."

"My name is Taido," the blond youth said courteously, "from the west Sound outpost. I am, for a lack of better word, your successor, so to speak – I'm Orochimaru-sama's second choice for a body as of this moment." He made a sweeping bow, which only served to irritate Sasuke further.

"I don't give a damn who the hell you're supposed to be," Sasuke said coldly. "Leave."

"Always the assumptions, Sasuke-san," Taido said expressionlessly. "Don't you think that we also want to make Jounin as well, which is why we're here? We're not only here to take you back to Sound and fulfill your agreement with Orochimaru-sama. We came to be Jounin as well."

"I wasn't born yesterday," Sasuke spat. "I've been with Orochimaru longer than you have. I know how he works. If he was the one who coached you on lying, then I can see through them without my Sharingan."

"Have it your way," Taido said, shrugging. "But we're going to fight you for the key, anyway."

Sasuke tensed himself, turning the Sharingan on. _I see – this is also a strategy to see how much effort they'll have to exert before beating me. Well, let's just show them a taster of what I can really do._

Taido made the first move, rushing towards Sasuke with a kunai in each hand. The ebony-haired shinobi threw a bunch of his own kunai at Taido, who blocked all of them easily. But Sasuke had disappeared from his original place. The Sound nin blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, Sasuke was in front of him, aiming a punch at his gut. The blond flew backwards, and Sasuke managed to catch up to the body, crouching and kicking Taido up on the chin, who ended up flying upwards and crashing into the cave's ceiling. Sasuke jumped backwards, anticipating his opponent's next move.

The Uchiha had guessed right – Taido had used Kawarimi. He spun around, knowing where Taido would reappear, thanks to the Sharingan. The Sound nin was just behind him, getting ready to attack, but Sasuke was quicker. He had formed the seals for the Housenka no Jutsu and aimed it at Taido.

However, he had not anticipated the jutsu Taido had been forming. "Suiton: Mizu Tsubame (1)," he muttered, shooting out numerous high-speed water bullets to meet Sasuke's flaming shuriken. The water bullets put the fire out and the water-logged shuriken slowed down, hitting the ground instead of their intended target. Further more, the water bullets had hit Sasuke, bruising him in the arms and legs.

_Looks like this is going to be harder than I thought_, Sasuke said to himself, collecting his thoughts. He could feel himself aching to use his Kusanagi, but he knew it would be unwise to show Taido anything that could be his trump card in the next exam._Looks like I'll have to beat him with a few ninjutsu and simple taijutsu alone._

Hinata, Byakuugan activated, was in a battle all her own, but she was on the losing side. Suigetsu swung the huge sword towards her every time she tried to be close enough to attack with Jyuuken, so she could not get within arm's reach. The former Mist nin dealt clean strokes through the air, nearly gutting her a few times, but so far, her natural flexibility was keeping her alive.

The kunoichi lunged forward, her palms aloft, and Suigetsu swung the sword again, aiming to cleave her neck. She ducked just in time for him to miss her by a few inches, slicing off a bit of her long hair in the process. _Safe!_ she thought in relief.

She was wrong – moments after she had ducked, a stream of water whipped her from the back, sending her toppling to the ground. Suigetsu smirked and sent his sword swinging down towards her. Pearl orbs widened, and she hurriedly rolled to the side. The sword hit the ground, cutting a bit more of her hair. The Hyuuga sighed in relief – her hair was a small price to pay to save her life.

Meanwhile, Taido hit Sasuke with a kunai and shuriken combo, which he dodged and blocked easily. He caught a couple of kunai in the air with one hand, and armed his other hand with two other kunai. He concentrated his lightning chakra in them, and moments later, the kunai were crackling with blue electricity. He disappeared from Taido's vision, his feet carrying him in sound speed. He aimed the charged kunai at Taido, who parried the attack just barely.

He charged the kunai with a more powerful current this time, and went to deliver the numbing blow. Taido hurriedly made an earth wall spring up between him and Sasuke, but the kunai-enhanced Chidori merely broke through the barrier with Taido's hand still upon it. The Chidori crackled in the steamy air and numbed the Sound nin's fingers in the process, before it dissipated.

Sasuke halted from his Chidori-enabled barrage to look at Taido, whose fingers on the right hand were bloody and did not seem to respond to his will. He knew it was the opportunity to deal the finishing blow. The Uchiha made another quick movement, disappearing from plain sight, and appearing behind Taido, who's eyes widened when he realized Sasuke had moved. The dark-haired nin gave the light-haired shinobi a clean hit in the neck with the side of his palm, and he was sent flying towards the wall. However, he got his bearings quickly and flipped himself so that his feet would meet the wall and give him leverage. As soon as his feet touched the wall, he pushed himself from it, hurtling towards Sasuke, who got ready with his defense.

Fortunately for Sasuke, he was better, taijutsu-wise. _This is the kind of crap Orochimaru wants to replace me with?_ he thought, his chest puffing up in pride, countering every punch and kick Taido made with ease. _He certainly has toned down the quality control._

Sasuke smirked, meeting Taido's glazed blue-grey eyes with his red Sharingan. He was certainly a lot better than this Taido fellow, he knew and believed. Nothing could beat the almighty Sharingan. Their gaze locked on to each other briefly.

Suddenly, something felt wrong. Sasuke felt his senses were growing dull – the air felt heavy, the sounds around him were faint, and his vision was getting hazy. He had the foggy feeling of floating off into a dream that felt too good to be a dream, and soon, he was too far gone to know that it _wasn't_ a good thing.

He blinked and refocused his eyes. Where was he? The air felt fresh and light, and he had the vaguest feeling that he had just done something invigorating. "Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto's voice called out to him, and when he turned to the source of the voice, there Naruto was – clad in a shirt and pants, sweating as he was. "Heads up!"

Naruto tossed him a water bottle, and dumped his own water on his blond air, the cool liquid trickling down his scalp. "Some workout, huh?" Naruto was saying. "Sakura-chan is a damn good slave-driver – not even Kakashi-sensei could top her."

"That's a good thing!" someone exclaimed, and when he turned, there Sakura was, grinning. "You wouldn't be prepared enough for the Jounin Exams if I didn't work you this hard, now would you?"

Sasuke realized where he was – he was back in the courtyard wherein he and the others were training for the Jounin Exams. It was a good memory, one of the most calming ones he ever had in recent history. He couldn't recall feeling more _safe_with his teammates than that time. "What about you?" he accused. "Don't you need to train, as well?"

Sakura puffed her cheeks out. "I was looking for another teammate. _That's_ my training."

"Aw, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined. "That's unfair!"

"I'll give you unfair, you ungrateful oaf!" Sakura yelled, grasping his blond locks and shaking him this way and that. Sasuke fought the urge to laugh – it was much too un-Uchiha like to do so.

He was home.

Hinata, in the meantime, was still in the heat of reality, dodging Suigetsu's heavy-handed swings. She began noticing his attack pattern, and soon enough, she saw how this would work to her advantage. _Now I just have to wait for the pattern to start surfacing at a longer interval,_ she thought. She chanced a Byakuugan-enhanced glance at Sasuke, and her heart palpitated in panic – there was something off about it. Sasuke was staring, eyes wide and dull, into Taido's eyes, and he wasn't moving.

_I have to act now!_ she thought urgently. _He must be trapped inside some kind of weird doujutsu!_

Hinata took note of Suigetsu's attacking pattern again – _right, left, step, vertical swing,_ she noted. _Left, horizontal swing, pivot, step._ She nodded. _Here we go!_

Suigetsu started his attack pattern again, and Hinata adjusted her footwork to counter each move. As he stepped to the right, Hinata matched his movement. As he came towards her and stepped into the left, she moved to meet him. Suigetsu swung his sword, and Hinata waited. As the sword was in momentum, she jumped over the arc it made in the air and landed lightly in front of Suigetsu. A fierce look in her usually soft lily eyes, she began hitting him furiously with her Jyuuken. Before Suigetsu could recover from the first few blows, she gathered chakra into her hand and slammed her palm into Suigetsu's abdomen.

She did not wait to see what was the result of the attack, knowing only that it might have been close to fatal. _It looks like this Sound nin-_ Hinata looked at Taido, -_needs prolonged eye contact for him to completely affect another shinobi with his doujutsu._ Taido was not looking at her, seeming not to sense her. Hinata gathered chakra into her hand again, aiming for Taido's heart.

But just as she was about to push her chakra-filled palm into his chest, his one hand reached out and caught her wrist, without breaking eye contact with Sasuke. Hinata yelped when Taido swung her, then let go, sending her flying to the other portion of the cavern. She noticed just in time to regain her footing, and ran towards Taido again, knowing she was running out of time. She gathered her chakra again, barely dodging Taido's one-handed attack, and hit him on the side, the only part of him she could reach.

It was enough to disrupt his chakra. He broke eye contact with Sasuke, who began coming to his senses. "Hinata…" he mumbled, sounding as though he was waking up from a long nap, "what happened?"

"We have to go, Sasuke-san!" Hinata said urgently, pulling him towards the path they had come from. The raven-haired Uchiha seemed to have regained his senses fully and aimed a grand fireball at the two recovering Sound nin. He ran with Hinata towards the exit, not waiting to see what had happened to the two.

_But Sound nin are pretty much like bad grass, _Sasuke thought grimly. _The elite ones don't die so easily. I should know. _His eyes hardened. _I was one myself._

* * *

"You met Midori-san and her team?" Hinata asked Naruto, after they met up again at their camp. 

"Yup!" Naruto exclaimed. "She asked about you before trying to kick our asses."

"She seems quite nice," Sakura added, "except maybe for the fact that it was four on two and we couldn't do anything about it."

"So what really happened?" Sasuke asked.

"Well," Naruto said, launching into the tale, "Sakura-chan and I were just waiting for the ramen to cook, right? Then we heard some traps going off, so we went to the source. We saw them – Midori and her team, that is – just done from running through the traps. So I thought that since they were tired out, we'd fight them, since, anyway, it was four on two, so that wasn't too unfair."

"Then they recognized Naruto from the exam orientation earlier," Sakura continued, "and Midori asked about you, Hinata-chan. We told her you were fine, and then we fought them."

"They're all pretty good!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "And they were polite about everything, too. Except, that, you know, we had to fight them, and it was pretty hard. But they let us take the key because we won fair and square."

"They're an honorable bunch," Sakura said, nodding. "But they're pretty mysterious – they didn't show much of their power. Quite strange too. Had it been any other ninja team, they would've tried to beat us out of the key by hook or by crook. But I have a feeling they were also pretty confident that they'd get another key on the way."

"So you got the key?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura and Naruto grinned at each other quite mischievously. "Even better," Naruto said, snickering. He dangled two keys from his index finger. "I managed to grab another key from another team who passed by just a few minutes before you guys arrived."

"They were pretty stupid, actually," Sakura said. "They were walking in a straight line, and the last one had the key dangling on his waist. It wasn't too hard filching the key from them."

"So all that's left now is the fourth key," Hinata said, nodding happily. "We're almost done!"

"And what's really good," Naruto added, "is that we have plenty of time to look for the next key!"

"Don't speak in conclusions," Sasuke warned. "We just might lose them in one go."

"Sasuke-kun's right," Sakura said, nodding. "We ought to have one key each, so that it'll be harder to steal from us. We're going to have to guard them no matter what." Everyone agreed on the idea, and soon enough, they were sitting around, eating ramen after splitting the three keys among Sasuke, Hinata, and Sakura. Only Naruto had no key now. "So, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan," Sakura said. "Aren't you guys going to tell us how you got your key?"

Hinata and Sasuke glanced at each other, remembering the conversation they had before coming back to camp.

"_Hinata_," Sasuke had said.

"_What is it, Sasuke-san?_" Hinata had asked, her brow knit in concern.

"_Whatever happened with you and Sakura – I'll forget about asking you about it._"

Hinata had given him a small shrewd smile. "_In exchange for…?_"

"_For you not telling Naruto and Sakura about what just happened,_" Sasuke had replied shortly. "_I don't want them to worry about unnecessary things._"

"_They'd want to know_," the Hyuuga girl had pointed out, just as she had with Sakura.

"_They won't want to know if we don't give them a reason to,_" Sasuke had countered rather indifferently. "_Do we have a deal or not, Hinata?_"

Presently, it was Hinata who answered Sakura's question. "It was a bit of a battle with some of those Rain nin," she replied, smiling. "That's why we're wet – Sasuke-san and I. We managed to get the key in the end, though."

Sakura considered Hinata for a moment, frowning. Finally, she said, "You're not a very good liar, Hinata-chan."

"E-eh?" Hinata stuttered, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly. "How so?"

"Well, considering your dirty physical state, it wasn't just a _bit_ of a battle," Sakura said, grinning. "You must've had quite a time, but seeing as you came back relatively unscathed, then you must've put them in their place! As expected of the Sharingan and Byakuugan combined! You're much too modest, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata nearly sighed in relief. "Yeah…" she said, smiling back in a sheepish manner. "I suppose we did good."

"Okay, that's enough," Naruto announced, pumping his fists in the air. "We've only got little time left, so let's push on!"

Hinata giggled, while Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Naruto," Sakura admonished, her hands on her hips. "I thought we'd agreed to make Hinata-chan the leader, and not you?"

* * *

In the wee hours of the third day, outside the labyrinth, Neji had taken it upon himself to do some recon work. _The Godaime and her guards arrive in Hidden Gem today, _he thought, _as well as the other Kages from the other villages. If my guess is right, the Kage from Hidden Glass should be coming as well as his guards. If my hunch is correct, he's going to get here with a huge lot of them, and that won't be too good, at least for Hidden Gem._

He had no doubt that Tsunade would decide to ally them with the Hidden Gem, because it was looking to be a very valuable ally. _But if the other villages have already allied themselves with Hidden Glass, we might have a problem,_ Neji contemplated. _It's not like we can contact the village now and request for an army-sized backup, should it come to an invasion. If it comes to having to choose sides, it would be wiser not to ally ourselves with anyone, than pick Hidden Gem if it's the losing side._

So far, all the spying he had done pointed to only one direction – the Glass nin were planning a full-scale invasion on Gem. From what Neji had seen, all the Glass nin that were in the village had sizeable amounts of chakra, and acted as though they were holding back, meaning the initial infiltration of the stronger nins was successful. Also, he had seen some Glass nin sneaking around in the village, as though picking out the strategic spots for attack.

_All that is left now is to inform Tsunade-sama,_ the Hyuuga leader thought. _Only then will we be able to take action._

* * *

_Mgrmmmble._

Hinata blushed as Kakashi's students turned their questioning eyes on her. "Boy, Hinata-chan, that's a loud monster you got in your stomach," Naruto joked.

Sakura slapped his head as the ebony-haired kunoichi ducked her head in embarrassment. "Naruto!" the green-eyed medic snapped. "Don't embarrass Hinata-chan."

"Honestly," Sasuke mumbled, looking annoyed. "You people are such-"

_MGGRRRMMMBLE._

Sakura and Naruto stared at Sasuke, who had blushed as well, then burst into laughter. Their guffaws were broken, however, when their own stomachs began making sounds of their own. They all gave a collective sigh. "Looks like we won't be able to hold on till the end of the labyrinth," Sakura murmured. "We're going to have to get some food."

"But we've only got one cup of ramen left," Naruto said. "That's not going to last us until the end of the labyrinth. If _someone_ hadn't insisted on taking the other cups out-" He gave Sasuke a very dirty look, "-then maybe we would've had more."

"Well," Sasuke said, ignoring the blond's look, "I guess it's time for our last option."

Naruto and Sakura groaned. "I knew we were jinxed, somehow," the female of the two mumbled.

"I can see a cluster of them just a kilometer from here," Hinata offered. "Shall we go then?"

"You're the leader," Naruto said, sighing again.

"Then it's settled," Hinata said. "Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san will hunt down bats and cook them for our team."

"WHAT?!"

To everyone's surprise, it was Sasuke who had reacted so vehemently. "Why the hell do I have to chase after flying mice?" he asked, looking disgusted.

"Because I happen to have the last cup of ramen," Sakura said cheerfully, "and I happen to have matches too, so I don't really need your Katon to make a fire for the boiling water. Oh, yes, and because Hinata-chan is the leader and _she said so._" She grinned deviously, while Sasuke tried not to cringe. "Was it not you who appointed Hinata-chan leader? What, you _scared_?"

"Am not!" Sasuke protested hotly.

"Race you there, scaredy-cat!" Naruto yelled, laughing loudly, jumping ahead of them.

Sasuke growled and accelerated after Naruto. "What!? I am _not_ a scaredy-cat, you freakin' idiot!"

Sakura laughed as they slowed down to set-up camp again. "Such children," she giggled with Hinata. "I hope they catch enough before they get scared."

An hour later, four large bats were roasting in the spit, and the girls were eyeing them with distaste. "So," Sasuke said smugly.

"So what?" Sakura asked boldly, though her gills were slightly green as she stared determinedly at the bats.

Sasuke waved a well-roasted bat-on-a-stick at her face, while Naruto got started on his. Sakura grimaced. "Would you like to eat your words with a side of bat?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll eat the damn bat, dammit!" Sakura declared bravely, grabbing the stick, though her stomach was spinning in circles. Hinata whimpered.

Naruto took notice of this as Sakura braced herself to bite into the meat, while Sasuke watched with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hinata-chan, it's not that bad!" he said kindly, though bits of bat were flying out of his mouth. "It's a bit like chicken, actually."

Hinata swallowed and hesitantly took the bat-on-a-stick Naruto was offering her. Beside her, Sakura downed her bite with a large gulp of water. "I don't care if it tastes like chicken," she groaned. "I still think it's nasty."

"Was it not you who was so brave about hunting bats?" Sasuke asked impishly, throwing her previous words back at her. "What is it Sakura – _scared_?"

"W-well, I have an excuse!" Sakura exclaimed. "I'm a girl and have every right to be disgusted by that stuff!"

"Says the male-female equality advocate," Sasuke said tonelessly, biting into his own bat.

"Be quiet!" Sakura snapped in irritation, and, eyes smoldering, began tearing through the bat quickly, finishing the entire thing even before Naruto did. The jinchuuriki, who was still halfway through, and Hinata, who was taking small nibbles, stared at her, but Sasuke merely did his trademark smirk.

* * *

Later on, the four had continued on with their travel towards their goal. "We went an entire day without finding a key," Naruto complained. "And the exam's nearly over! Hey, Hinata-chan, do you see a next one?" 

"Yes, but it's in the midst of several layers of traps a few kilometers ahead," Hinata said. "We're going to have to proceed with caution before we can retrieve the key. We have to be careful not to trip any of the traps – doing that triggers all the traps in a domino effect."

"Got it," Sasuke said curtly. "Just alert us when we arrive at the trap field." Hinata nodded at this, and they went on in silence, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Sakura couldn't help but think back to what had happened between her and the Sand nin. She supposed that it was a sign of acknowledgement and an odd measure of strength that she had made powerful enemies, but she knew she would have been better off without such – it hindered her from doing the thing she wanted the most, which was to help Naruto and Sasuke reach their goals. She had no time for things that only concerned her and not them. It was oddly unselfish of her.

She was ready to face them and weed them out of her life, but she still had doubts as to her abilities. All she had strived for in the past years was to be of use to Naruto, and eventually, Sasuke. She was confident about her skills when paired with Sasuke's or Naruto's, but now that she had to use her abilities to sort out her _own_issues, she doubted herself. At the very least, she knew she ought not to worry Sasuke or Naruto about this problem, because it would only interfere with their judgment during the exam. Knowing their impulsive natures, she didn't doubt they'd try to interfere.

On the other hand, Sasuke's thoughts were on his least favorite subject – the Sound nin. He knew he would be plagued by the Sound as long as Orochimaru lived, even if he had left the village a few months prior. He wasn't surprised that they would spring up now, on one of the most important events of his life. But as much as he had anticipated it, he didn't need it.

He knew that the deadline to the three-year period Orochimaru was waiting for was coming closer each day, and compared to the measures the Snake Sannin had taken in the Chuunin Exams, he could only be sure that the measures he would be taking in the Jounin Exams would be bigger and more desperate. It was to no wonder that he had sent out some of the strongest nins he had under his command – they would be sure to wear him out before Orochimaru himself arrived to take him.

He wasn't apprehensive or anxious. All he knew was that he had to protect himself and his teammates the best he could, no matter what Orochimaru decided to pull. He, after all, was Orochimaru's pupil – he had inherited the shrewdness of the snakes that dominated the Snake Sannin's techniques, and it would now be a battle of wits. That, and he had to do whatever he could not to tell Sakura or Naruto – he wouldn't have them worry about needless things, not during the exam.

Naruto, in the meantime, was immersed in thoughts of his own. So far, he had not been given any opportunity to improve himself. All the things he had done up to that point, he knew, were things that any Chuunin could have easily done. He wasn't any better than he had been since he declared his want for improvement, and he wasn't the type to wait for that kind of opportunity easily.

He wanted to find that opportunity as soon as possible. The need to grow up tugged at his psyche more than anything had for a long time. It was nearly as strong as his want to beat Sasuke at anything a few years back. Sasuke had been his gauge of strength back then – he was the goal he had to reach before going on to the next level. Surpassing him meant being a step closer to his goal of becoming the Hokage.

But when they actually became teammates, then friends, his perspective of Sasuke had changed. Now that he was equal with Sasuke and would be for a very long time (possibly forever), then he could not use Sasuke as his gauge of strength any longer. He knew, for as long as he was not Hokage yet, he had only one person he had to surpass – and that was himself. It was why he needed to know if he could grow up – because he had to be a better shinobi than he had been the day before.

Unbeknownst to the three, Hinata was having problems of her own.

First it had been Naruto who needed a secret kept. That was fine. Then Sakura – it was a bit too much to keep, but she knew she had to, anyway. But it had definitely been over the top when Sasuke decided to make her keep yet _another _secret.

It was all right, she supposed, that the three had confided in her. She was the best person to keep secrets, after all, being the quiet type. But she didn't it was healthy at all – not for them, all of whom were keeping secrets from the people who cared the most about them, and not for her, who had to carry their burden. The secrecy was suffocating her.

But then, karma would probably work on the situation better than she could, she thought then. The secrets would all just come back to them, and the three of them would have to open up to one another if they were going to make their friendship work. It was only a matter of time until Fate took matters out of her hands. All she had to do was wait. Until then-

"There it is!" Hinata alerted them. "Slow down – it's a bunch of trap-triggering strings arranged in a pretty complex way."

The foursome stopped in their tracks. "Why don't we just trigger the traps, wait for the traps to run out, and find the key?" Sakura asked.

"We don't know if there's a trap that'll trigger a road block," Sasuke replied. "We're going to have to pass through them the hard way."

They began to pick their way through the complex web of trap-triggering traps, catching each other before one could trip over one, not even daring to make a sound. Soon enough, the nerve-wracking experience was halfway done, and they were in the middle ground, trying to reach for the key, which was tied to a string, swinging tantalizingly overhead.

"So how do we get it?" Naruto asked quietly, still reluctant to break the uneasy silence. "It's too high to reach, and any sudden movements might make us trip over something."

"Why don't you make a Kage Bunshin, Naruto-kun?" Hinata suggested. "Make the Kage Bunshin stand over your shoulders and reach for the key."

"Great idea," Naruto said, nodding. "You know what? I'll make two Kage Bunshin and make them do the job. Let's just cross over to the other side safely." The four of them walked over the rest of the traps, slowly but surely, and the Kage Bunshin worked on getting the key above. The Kage Bunshin grasped the key in his hands, and gave a tug.

Then hell commenced.

The string that connected the key to the ceiling was the main trigger to all the traps. A rain of kunai fell on the two clones, and only one managed to escape. "Here!" clone-Naruto yelled, tossing the key across the ring of traps before it got hit by a kunai and poofed away. Sakura caught it as she ran towards the end of the trap field.

From either side of them, the walls opened to reveal a kunai-shooting mechanism, which began to shoot the knives at them at lightning speed. Immediately, Hinata and Sasuke stepped up, with the Hyuuga girl redirecting the kunais' aims with her Shugohakke, and with the Uchiha survivor using his sword as a shield. The mechanism slowed down, and they were free to run forward. Directly after they had run forward, the ground shook and began crumbling, forcing everyone to run faster across the ground that was opening into a deep chasm.

The four of them struggled for breath as they reached the end of the trap field. "Is – it – over?" Sakura asked between pants.

"Wait a sec…" Sasuke muttered, looking around.

The place was hazy, and they could smell a heady scent wafting from the tubes sticking out of the walls. For some reason, it was making them feel light-headed, as though they were floating. "Mhmmm…" Hinata mumbled, suddenly feeling the urge to sleep. "I… let's rest…"

"Yes…" Sakura murmured, dropping to her knees. "Let's…"

"What the…" Sasuke was muttering, losing the struggle to stay awake. "We're being… drugged…"

Naruto didn't say anything, only trying to focus through the haze of his mind. All he could think about was that they _needed_ to get out of the place – he didn't even know how or why. It was dangerous, and something bad would happen if they didn't. That was all he knew.

His body was dragging him down, making him stumble as he made his way towards Hinata. He really _really_ wanted to drop down and just forget about everything, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that said he _had_ to keep going. As Hinata slumped forward, her expression dull, he caught her heavily. Summoning just enough chakra control, he created two clones, each one bearing his two other teammates.

He didn't know how long it had taken him, but finally, he had carried all three of them away from the drugged mist. His vision was a bit more focused, but he still felt light-headed. He let his instinct take lead then. His teammates were asleep, and it just would not do. He crawled sluggishly towards Sakura's sleeping form and searched her pack for something – _anything_ – that would make all of them alert once more.

His aimless searching was rewarded. For in Sakura's medical kit, there was a bottle of smelling salts. He didn't know if it was going to work, but this seemed like the only way out of a drug-induced coma. He fumbled around with it for a while before taking a sniff of it.

Almost right away, the strong smell of the salt cleared his head and, consequently, his vision. It had worked. Eagerly, he passed the salts under his teammates' noses, and one by one, they began to wake. "Aw man, that was nasty," Sakura mumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What happened? I remember just dropping off and wanting to sleep…"

"We were trapped in some kind of sleeping gas," Sasuke droned tiredly as he came to. "How did we get out, though?"

"I did it," Naruto volunteered. His team looked at him, their gazes a mixture of surprise and sluggishness from the gas. "I still had some kind of grasp of my senses, so I did what I had to do."

"That's… amazing," Sakura said in an awe-filled voice. "To think that you had that kind of resistance to nerve-numbing gas… Not to mention the presence of mind to help us continue on…"

Sasuke smirked rather resignedly. "Who knew the idiot had it in him?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head modestly. "Bah, it was nothing. Really."

Hinata was watching his movements with an odd kind of fascination in her pearl-white eyes, as they stood up and began their last trek to the finish line. "Hey, Naruto-kun," she whispered as they walked on. Naruto glanced at her, a question in his sky-blue pools. "I think…"

"Yeah?" the blond prompted, suddenly noticing how close Hinata was and blushing a bit. Hinata smiled, oblivious to the distance.

"I think… you've taken your first step."

He forgot about their proximity as he was distracted by the memory of their earlier conversation. Slowly, he grinned. "Looks like I'm finally growing up."

* * *

All thirty-two passers stood before the panel of judges, each holding a key of their own, all looking dirty and tired, but still mostly satisfied. 

"Ten Harigakure shinobi," the proctor said, giving a glance at the ten remaining Glass nins, "four Otogakure shinobi," he nodded in their direction, "four Kumogakure shinobi," he gave a polite nod at the Nekotachi nins, "two Sunagakure shinobi," he inclined his head at them, and they looked on ahead impassively, "and twelve Konohagakure shinobi," he gave Naruto a particularly satisfied smirk, "have passed the third part of the Jounin Exams. Congratulations to all thirty-two of you, and we look forward to watching you perform in the next two exams."

"We did it!" Lee cheered, grasping whichever Konoha nin he could (grabbing Akamaru's fur and Sasuke's Chuunin vest in the process). "There's no stopping our youthful energy now!"

The Konoha nins bantered on as they celebrated their midway victory. Naruto met Hinata's eyes, and they smiled at each other. They were that much closer to their goal.

* * *

"Looks like both of our targets are going to be showing of their skills, yeah," Deidara commented as they watched the Chuunin being lead away to their next destinations. "This is a perfect opportunity to get to know what they're made of, yeah." 

"Looks like the little brother and the Kyuubi jinchuuriki passed as well," Kisame said, glancing at Itachi for a reaction, but was met with nothing.

"Uwah," Tobi commented. "Itachi-san's little brother is really really strong! The battles are going to be awesome!"

"Let's keep on watching over them, then," Itachi said quietly. "That's our job for now, after all. Keep your chakra masked. We'll have to move closer to them soon."

* * *

"Well, we're here." 

"Isn't it exciting? We get to see those kids in action again!"

Tsunade grinned at her pig-toting assistant. "So we will. I knew things would be exciting this year." She nodded to the nins behind her. "Wouldn't you think so, Kurenai, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma?"

The only female of the foursome laughed. "It'll be like watching them come of age," she said. "How nostalgic that sounds!"

"Soon, all my students will cross over to the realm of adulthood!" Gai cried, tears running down his face dramatically. "They will grab whatever they can with their blooming youthful power!"

"Eh, it's good that they've grown up, and so fast too," Asuma said calmly through a contented smile. "I'm going to miss their cuteness, though."

"Looks like every important country in the shinobi world is represented," Kakashi commented. "There's Gaara-kun and his siblings, and the Raikage, and the Mizukage… ah, the Tsuchikage is looking pretty hot this year-"

"Don't check out the Tsuchikage!" Shizune admonished him, digging her (rather sharp) heel on Kakashi's toes.

"-and some other people I'd rather not see," he continued merrily, and Tsunade followed his glance. Her hazel eyes immediately narrowed.

"He knows he can walk around free here," she said venomously. "That Orochimaru – he'll flaunt his presence as long as he knows that to be hostile in here would be a disadvantage for us."

The Snake Sannin caught the Slug Sannin's glare, and he smirked. Tsunade gave him a malevolent smile of her own. "Looks like this year might be more exciting that I initially betted it would be."

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Naruto:** They weren't kidding when they said that the Hidden Gem was luxurious. Because_dang_, I've never seen anything more _lavish_ than this place. You know, if I were really interested in doing it, I'd come up with a plan to conquer it. But like I said – not interested.

Speaking of interesting, someone's got their eye on Sasuke. And no, it's not a fangirl (I think). But I'm sure Sakura-chan'll fight for whatever's hers. Or something like that.

But but but! The really really exciting part of the exam is about to start! Yep, you got it – it's the two-on-two matches! So I guess I'll have to find a partner for it…

Next chapter, _Persistence – To Protect My Loved One_.

It's enough that Sakura-chan has to battle it out with Sasuke's fangirls… now she has to deal with his _fanboys_ too?

* * *

**AN:**(1) Water Skill: Water Swallow. (Swallow, the bird.) Made up. 

Final-freakin-lly! I can now release the 22nd chapter (which is, needless to say, the longest I've ever written – does 26 PAGES tell you_anything_?) I've been so so busy with college and life in general that I haven't had time to do this. In fact, I could only do this a bit at a time. But now, it's here! Yay for me!

So… I don't know if this is asking for too much, but I hope you guys give me a review that is, though not necessarily as long as this chapter, long enough to tell me what's on your mind. I'd really love that.

Oh, and to the people who leave anonymous reviews with no way of contacting them, please… at least leave an e-mail address. There are several of you whose opinions really count, and I'd really love to reply to you one way or the other. Thanks!

**EDIT:** HOMG. Thank you for **gladdecease** for noticing my Math error in the shinobi counting. I've already edited it out. Do I feel stupid? Yes, I do. For all the hype about me being a good writer, I suck - no, I am absolutely _abysmal_ at Math that I could even commit a FIRST GRADE MATH mistake.

I'll be off banging my head on the wall now.


	23. Persistence – To Protect My Loved One

**AN:** Here's chapter 23!

In this chapter, there will be several battle scenes, because the last two exams are about to begin. I'm getting a bit rusty in writing battle scenes after not writing them for so long – is that a good enough excuse for the sucky battle scenes down there? I hope it is. It probably isn't.

Thanks for the reviews! It's a happy day for any author when there have been 10 hits on the chapter hit meter 15 minutes after she updates.

* * *

**Chapter 23:**

**Persistence – To Protect My Loved One**

* * *

A new Gem shinobi – a young man, this time – stepped up on the podium raised above the examinees. "We will now explain the mechanics of the fourth exam."

The celebrating Chuunin (mostly from Konoha) fell quiet at these words. The Gem shinobi began, "The fourth exam will test how well you work with a pair, simply speaking. You will be able to choose your pair for the next exam, but we strongly advise you to find a pair that will complement your own abilities."

"The keys you have retrieved are actually your room keys, which you will use for your accommodations in our village inn," he continued. "Our sponsors, the various daimyos and Kages of the different countries, want you all to be well rested for the battles tomorrow. So if you will follow the Gem Chuunin…"

Sakura gave a big sigh. She felt exhausted beyond human belief – the only words that had actually registered in her weary mind were "accommodations" and "room keys," and she took that to mean she would be getting some rest _very_ soon. Sasuke and Naruto, however, were already thinking of the battles that were to commence the next day.

"So who are you partnering with, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "It's going to be a pretty important decision, because we're nearly there at the end of the exam and-"

"Sakura," Sasuke said without preamble. Naruto gaped.

"WHAT!?" he exclaimed. "How could you decide on something so important so quickly!?"

Sasuke gave him a bored glance. "Freakin' idiot. Kakashi already told us about the two-on-two matches. I had been planning on which one I'd be pairing with from the beginning."

Naruto pouted, then, inspiration sparking, gave Sasuke his shrewdest look, at which the Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "You chose Sakura because you want to flirt with her, don't you?"

Sasuke blushed considerably but managed to say without stuttering, "I didn't. I chose to partner with her because her skills complement mine-"

"You want to be close to her-" Naruto said in a sing-song voice, still grinning.

"-Naruto, shut up, that's not what I-" Sasuke hissed.

"-you want to hug her and never let her go-"

"-Naruto, you idiot, if she hears-"

"-you want to kiss her and sleep in the same bed with her-"

"SHADDUP!" Sasuke snarled, thankful that Sakura and Hinata were too caught up in another conversation to notice. "Just so you know, I chose Sakura because she's the best medic in the bunch and that is the best strategy to take!"

Naruto's grin slid off his face. "WHAT?!" he roared. It was now Sasuke's turn to smirk. "That… that… that's UNFAIR!"

"No, it's this new thing off the shelves, Naruto – it's called_planning ahead. _Look into it."

"Well… fine!" the blond of the pair grumbled. "Hinata-chan's my pick, then! At least we have the _Byakuugan_!"

"We have the Sharingan," Sasuke retorted rather indifferently. Naruto puffed out his cheeks, now lost for argument.

The two of them joined the other Konoha nin as they made their last trek before collapsing into bed. Soon enough, the large village inn loomed ahead, warm light exuding from the tavern in the front. Sakura gave a small whistle. "They weren't kidding about the village being fully loaded," she commented.

"You should check out the rooms," someone behind them said. The pink, blond, and black heads turned towards the voice.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura shrieked joyfully, jumping up and hugging the white-haired jounin tightly. Naruto got over his surprise and joined Sakura in hanging on Kakashi's neck. "You came!"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Kakashi said sincerely. He gave Sasuke his most cheerful smile. "And you, Sasuke-chan? Aren't you going to give me some love?"

Sasuke stared at the picture before him – two nearly full-grown, brightly-colored ninja were hanging from the limbs of a full-grown ninja with a questionable book in hand. Hinata had gone to greet Kurenai, and couldn't be there to share the slightly disturbing little scene. Sasuke gave them the most screwed-up grimace he could muster. "You can't be serious."

"So where will you be staying, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, still hanging on Kakashi's neck.

"There's a suite where all the Konoha jounin will be staying, while Hokage-sama has a room to herself," Kakashi said. "And you guys will be staying in some _very_ luxurious accommodations for a couple of nights. You'll definitely be pampered and primped – they want you to be on your peak condition before you rip each other to pieces tomorrow." Sakura and Naruto made faces.

"And where's Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura inquired.

"Playing poker with the Tsuchikage and the Kazekage," Kakashi answered as-a-matter-of-factly. "You know, I had no idea Gaara-kun had such a strong poker hand… or maybe only because it's Hokage-sama's he's playing with…" He put his arms around Sakura and Naruto. "Anyway – why don't I show you where you'll be staying? I'd like to see your faces when you see your room."

* * *

Sakura flopped down onto one of the twin beds that were in their room. "Kakashi-sensei was right," she said, inhaling the freshly laundered smell of the soft sheets. "This is one snazzy room."

"We have no real need for it," Sasuke said indifferently, staring at the ceiling as he lay on the other bed. "This village would do better in directing most of their resources in strengthening their security or increasing their ninja population."

"Well, like we heard, this village has a dual source of income," Sakura said. "Having places like this is still good business. They probably get off with tourism or something like that. Their Kage's probably very business-minded. You can tell by the name of the place."

"If their Kage wanted to have business, he or she shouldn't have invested in the village," Sasuke replied. "If in the case their village would be attacked – which is likely – their economy would experience a real blow."

"Hmm, that _is_true," Sakura mused. Then she glared at Sasuke, and he raised an eyebrow. "But enough about that. I want to know, Uchiha-" Sasuke tried not to cringe – Sakura using his surname was a blaring warning, "-why is it that you and Naruto seem to have decided by yourselves on who your partners would be?" She narrowed her green optics even further. "You didn't think that _maybe_ Hinata-chan and I wanted to partner with each other? Or maybe _I_ wanted to be partnered with Naruto? Hmmm?"

Sasuke fought for something to say, and Sakura looked menacingly triumphant. "See?" she said maddeningly, standing on her bed and glowering at Sasuke, her hands on her hips. "Maybe you could take our feelings into context once in a while!"

"Well," the onyx-eyed shinobi said, looking her straight in the eye, "I realized you couldn't resist me and took your feelings into context in that matter. Savvy?"

Sakura looked as though several bricks had been thrown at her and hit their mark. In her muddled state, her footing on the fluffy bed slipped and she toppled out of sight. Sasuke raised himself slightly with his elbows and cocked an eyebrow. From her place on the floor, Sakura yelled, "D-don't flatter yourself, Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke merely gave her his trademark smirk.

* * *

The autumn moon rose that night, illuminating the faces of the nin who came crawling in the dark.

"YOSH!" Naruto yelled. "Let's conquer this labyrinth!"

All the Konoha nins present stared at Naruto. "I-it's only a garden hedge maze, Naruto-kun," Hinata said timidly.

"Yeah, well," Naruto said, fumbling for a comeback, "well, this is a contest! Let's see who finished the maze first!"

Everyone had already freshened up from the journey in the labyrinth, and was now in the garden hedge maze at the back of the inn. Dinner was finished, and Naruto, Kiba, and Tenten had decided to drag all the Konoha Chuunin (plus Neji) towards the complex hedge maze. It was a relaxing little sojourn in their eventful journey through the Jounin Exams.

Suddenly, Naruto yelled, "I call the Byakuugan!" Before anyone could say anything, he had grabbed Hinata and sped off into the maze.

Lee and Tenten reacted quickly to this. "We call the Byakuugan too!" Lee exclaimed, dragging Neji with them into the labyrinth despite his protests.

"Well, we're not going to let them win, are we?!" Ino exclaimed. "C'mon, Shika!" With that, she pulled the lazy Chuunin into the meandering path ahead amid his loud remonstrations, Chouji and Aoba yelling, "Wait up!" in their wake.

"Let's go, Shino!" Kiba yelled excitedly, while Shino twitched a little in his hood at the loud noise. "Let's beat them!"

"Let's get this over with," Sasuke said, sighing. He held out his hand to Sakura impatiently. "Coming or what?" Sakura puffed her cheeks out, still embarrassed by the situation a few hours back, but took Sasuke's hand anyway and followed him into the maze.

They entered the maze which the hedges made around them, basking in the bright full moon. "But isn't this unfair, though?" Sakura asked cheerfully. "The two other teams have Byakuugan users with them. We'll lose for sure!"

Sasuke gave her what Sakura interpreted was his mischievous smirk. "Then wouldn't it be entirely upsetting for them if two non-Byakuugan users beat them to the finish line?" he asked.

"You sure we can do that?" Sakura asked, a skeptical grin on her face.

"There's no exit," Sasuke said. "I was walking around before dinner and discovered that. This maze pretty much just goes in circles until it goes back to the entrance. We can just turn back now."

Sakura's eyes lit up in realization and mischief. "Awesome!" she exclaimed, snickering. She followed Sasuke out of the maze. It was a small moment of relaxation before the most important part of the exam, and they were inwardly glad that they had time like this to spare. Sakura opened her mouth to mention this to Sasuke.

"Duck!"

Before she could think of what was happening, Sasuke had pushed her down so that she was flat on her stomach on the ground. The kunai they had been dodging landed with several thuds on the ground. The kunoichi of the duo stared at one of the kunai that had come close to slicing off her nose. "What's going on!?" she asked Sasuke.

Sasuke had already stood up and was wielding kunai of his own, having left his Kusanagi in their room. "Just get ready to fight!" he exclaimed, adrenaline pumping into his veins. His red Sharingan made him look eerie in the moonlight.

Standing on one of the hedges was a pair of nin – one being a woman with blood-red hair and glasses, the other being a large nin with orange hair that stood up on end. "Stop resisting, Uchiha Sasuke," the woman said. "And we won't carry this attack any further."

"Who are you!?" Sakura yelled. The woman glanced at her disdainfully.

"Be quiet, Konoha scum," she said. "We don't give our names to insignificant small fry." The redhead laughed derisively, and Sakura bristled. "Well, Sasuke? Will you come with us?"

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura turned to the boy addressed, eyes confused. "Do you know these people?"

"They are… from the Sound village," Sasuke replied, not meeting Sakura's eyes, choosing instead to stare back at the redhead kunoichi before them. "You really don't know when to give up, do you?" he asked her rhetorically.

"Suigetsu and Taido aren't very good at persuading," the redhead said dismissively. "After you escaped from them in the labyrinth, well, I decided to take matters into my own hands." Her eyes gleamed behind her glasses. "It's going to take a little longer than their method, though. But I assure you, Sasuke, you'll be in Sound as soon as this exam is over."

Sasuke didn't reply, but Sakura whipped her head around to look angrily at him. "You fought Sound nin in the labyrinth?!" she exclaimed. "But you never… you didn't say… Sasuke-kun, did you?"

The Sound kunoichi laughed again. "See? You don't even _trust_ anyone in your ratty little village, not even your so-called friends! Why stay when you can mistrust people in Sound as well?"

Sakura looked hurt, but Sasuke merely continued looking expressionless. "Enough of this, Karin," the orange-haired shinobi beside the Sound kunoichi said. "We shouldn't waste too much time."

"Best thing you've said all day, Juugo," Karin said, jumping towards Sasuke, throwing several kunai at him. He blocked them easily with his own kunai, but Karin had flipped in the air and aimed more kunai at him.

"Oh no you don't!" Sakura growled, deflecting this batch of kunai as well. As the knives met in midair, Sakura sped to Karin, her hands glowing with a killing medic ninjutsu. However, her path was blocked by Juugo, who slapped her wrist away when she aimed for his heart instead.

Karin, in the meantime, had rushed to Sasuke, who was dodging her every attack expertly. The Uchiha managed to get a couple of punches and kicks in, but he realized that she was holding back. _What is she waiting for?_

The bespectacled girl slashed a kunai towards his left arm, so he dodged to the right. It was when she smirked that he realized that the slash was a feint to make him twist to the right. He hurriedly tried to reverse his motion, but Karin had already made her move, stabbing his right arm with a syringe. His dark eyes widened.

"Juugo, now!" she yelled.

The Sound nin addressed, who had been caught up with Sakura and her Satsugaite no Jutsu (1), flipped away to a safer place and put his fingers together in a seal. "Wait!" Sakura yelled, trying to follow the two, but she was pulled back by something that stabbed her heart – Sasuke's scream.

Pink hair whipped around. Sakura ran to Sasuke, who was crouching on the ground, clawing in pain at his Curse Seal, which was spiraling out of control and leaking dangerous chakra. The medic nin's eyes widened in horror. "What have you done!?" she cried out to the Sound nin, who were now beyond her reach as she cradled the tortured Sasuke. Dangerous chakra or not, she couldn't leave Sasuke alone.

"I injected him with the enzyme that causes the Curse Seal," Karin informed her smugly. "It's been modified here and there to ensure that it will help us bend him to our will. Sasuke's special, you see – he can fight the Curse Seal's influence off more efficiently than our other subjects, even in his Level 2 state. This dose of the enzyme will inhibit that fight in him."

"You're monsters," Sakura spat, holding Sasuke close.

"Only doing our job, dearie," Karin replied sardonically. "Now – you are in the way. We're going to have to take you out."

Sakura could not move from her place, as she was outnumbered two to one and protecting someone at that. Sakura squeezed her eyes closed, getting ready to receive the heavy blows. _Damn… if only I had enough chakra to learn how to make a Kage Bunshin…_

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Sakura opened her eyes, and they watered in relief. Her savior was here.

"You all right, Sakura-chan!?" the original Naruto asked, as his Kage Bunshin took care of business. Sakura nodded dumbly. Naruto looked worriedly at Sasuke. "Can't you do something about him?"

"There's something I could try," Sakura said shakily as Sasuke struggled to gather his control again. Naruto nodded and jumped into the fray without waiting to see what would happen. Sakura looked up, and she found that Hinata was fighting too – and that the nin called Juugo had dark marks all over his face and bloodlust in his eyes. She blanched. _He's powered by the Curse Seal, too!? No – Naruto's powerful enough to put him down, and Hinata-chan's with him. I have to do what I have to do._

She opened Sasuke's vest and sliced his shirt open while he writhed and groaned on the ground. Tears nearly blinding her, she cut her thumb to let the blood flow freely, and began shakily tracing runes on Sasuke's body with her blood. She worked hard and fast, all the while trying to observe what was happening around her by way of sound. She heard Kiba and Shino's voices join the cacophony, while Naruto was yelling at Ino to get Kakashi and Tsunade.

"Sakura-san!" she could hear Lee yelling. "Are you and Sasuke-kun all right!?"

"Lee-san, Neji-niisan!" Hinata pleaded. "Please protect Sakura-chan and Sasuke-san!"

"Keep calm, Sakura-chan," Sakura heard Tenten's calm reassuring voice in her ear. "Take a deep breath to stop the shaking."

It was then that the coral-haired medic realized that the runes she was drawing were getting a little mixed up because of her shaking hand. "Thank you, Tenten-san," she breathed, inhaling and exhaling deeply. Her heart rate went down, and she began again, this time a little more certainty in her hand.

Meanwhile, Juugo was on a rampage. He snarled and slashed his claws at three of Naruto's Kage Bunshin. "Keh, you're even uglier than Sasuke when he goes into Curse Seal mode," Naruto taunted. The Sound nin aimed a power punch at the original Naruto, who responded by ducking under the outstretched arm and punching Juugo in the gut.

The Sound nin flew across the garden, through the hedges. Kiba and Akamaru bounded towards him, the white dog biting him by the collar and throwing him into the air. Kiba jumped up and punched him in a diagonal towards the ground. Shino was gathering his bugs, getting them one by one to seep the deadly chakra out of Juugo. The orange-haired nin recovered quickly and went to claw at Naruto again.

In the meantime, Hinata and Karin were exchanging blows. As luck may have had it, Karin could expertly dodge Hinata's Jyuuken, her body lithe and agile, and she was keeping Hinata in a close enough distance to disallow her from attacking with her Shugohakke from afar. Hinata was straining a bit – she had gotten a few hits on Karin, but not enough to bring her down. _I don't want her to see my real skill either – what if I'm pitted against her tomorrow?_

Karin swiped her hand, alight with Satsugaite no Jutsu, towards Hinata's face. The midnight-haired girl bent backwards to avoid the blow, then righted herself to slam her palm on Karin's chest. The Sound kunoichi brought her arms across her chest, protecting her heart so that the Jyuuken hit her arms instead. Hinata swung a leg under Karin, causing her to topple, but just as Hinata was about deliver another killing blow, Karin kicked up and hit Hinata's hands away.

The Hyuuga kunoichi toppled backward, but regained her footing. As she was about to go at it again, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "I'll do it, if you're hesitant to show your skill," Neji muttered to her. "You guard Sakura while she seals Sasuke." Hinata nodded gratefully.

Neji now took over Hinata's position, his palms aloft. Karin had no smirk on her face now. Before she could do anything, Neji began hitting her with a faster Jyuuken than Hinata had dished out. Karin had no time to block it, or even think of a counterattack. Neji gave one last shove, and Karin shot across the air into the hedge.

In the other battle, it was taking all of the boys' self-control not to go all-out, as they needed to conserve their energy and hide their tricks till the next day. Juugo, however, was still on a rampage, aiming a killing blow whenever he could. He tore himself away from the crowd of Narutos holding on to him and went at Sakura, the original target.

Lee, Tenten, and Hinata readied themselves. As Juugo pounced in midair, Tenten threw her chained sickle at him, guiding it towards his face, but Juugo snarled and knocked it away just as it grazed his neck. He landed in front of Lee, aiming to knock him away as well, but Lee dodged and gave him a spinning kick that sent him flying. However, it did not send him flying far enough – he merely flipped and angled himself to land closer to them.

"Juugo, that's enough, come on!" Karin yelled from across the battlefield. "We're outnumbered!"

"You ought to listen to your friend there!" Naruto shouted, barreling forward just as Juugo went to deliver another blow. Before the orange-haired Sound nin could reach the human barricade around Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto created several Kage Bunshin, which tackled Juugo to the ground. Giving another feral roar, he tried to shake them off, but Naruto kept making enough clones to hold him in place. "Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled. "Seal him!"

"Right!" Hinata ran forward, her palms aloft. Naruto's Kage Bunshin held him in front of the dark-haired Hyuuga girl, letting her seal some of his chakra points. Juugo struggled, but this was futile. "There!" she exclaimed, finishing the job. Several things happened simultaneously after that.

"There!" Sakura also yelled, albeit tiredly, falling to her knees as the secondary seal around Sasuke's Curse Seal was completed. Naruto threw Juugo in the air, aiming to give him a bone-crushing blow, but the Sound nin's Curse Seal dissipated, and Karin had jumped out of nowhere and grabbed him as he flew through the air, retreating into the inn, where open hostilities would be more watched by the proctors.

From the other side, Kakashi, Shizune, and Tsunade, led by Shikamaru and Ino, had come running, along with some Hidden Gem jounin. "Talk to me," Tsunade directed at Sakura. The pink-haired girl went on to a breathless, but accurate explanation of what had taken place.

"What do you wish, Tsunade-sama?" one of the Gem jounin asked. "Would you like us to hold council and disqualify the Sound Chuunin for sabotage?"

"This sort of hostility goes deeper than the exam," Tsunade said grimly. "If my Chuunin still wish for a chance to face the Sound nin head on, then it's up to them."

"Don't disqualify them," Naruto said, cerulean optics sparking with anger. "Boy would I love to humiliate either of them in the exam." Sakura merely nodded.

"Let's take Sasuke inside," Kakashi suggested. "I'll reinforce the Seal Sakura put on him. The rest of you," he added, addressing the Chuunin before him, "go to your rooms and stay there. We don't want another ambush to take place before the exams tomorrow." With that, they brought Sasuke and the rest of his team inside the inn.

* * *

"This is terrible," Sakura groaned softly, running her fingers through her hair. "If you guys hadn't shown up when you did…"

"The point is, we did," Naruto said soothingly. "That's all you need to calm down."

The four of them were now in Naruto and Hinata's room, discussing what had taken place. Sasuke was now conscious, sitting quietly on the floor, while Sakura and Naruto had taken their places on the nearby bed. Hinata was bustling around making tea from the complementary packets in their room.

Sakura looked at Sasuke with a mixture of disappointment and anger. "Why didn't you tell us that you fought the Sound nin in the labyrinth?" she asked calmly, though her eyes were smoldering. Hinata, who had her back turned on them, shuddered a bit, nearly dropping the cups that she was putting on the tray. The sound of the cups clinking against each other was the only one in the room, while Sakura let the question hang.

"I didn't want you to think about unnecessary things," Sasuke said quietly, speaking to the floor. "It would have distracted you-"

"Unnecessary?" Sakura interrupted, her voice high with emotion. "_Unnecessary?!_ Sasuke-kun, your well-being is _far_ more important than any exam! You should've told us! You shou-"

"You're one to talk," Naruto mumbled out of nowhere. Sakura glanced at him, her eyes wide, while Hinata nearly dropped the tray she was carrying.

"N-Naruto-kun!" she said warningly.

"It's okay, Hinata-chan," Naruto said gruffly. He glared at Sakura, his expression unusually glum. "_You_ were hiding something from us too, weren't you, Sakura-chan? And mind you, I know it's pretty similar to what happened with Sasuke."

"What?" Sasuke asked sternly, looking up.

Sakura was looking guilty. "I… yes," she admitted. "I was attacked by two Sand nin – and not only because of the exam. They're…" She winced, as though she didn't want to admit it. "They're… targeting me. Because of what happened to Sasori, that Akatsuki member."

Naruto looked grimly triumphant. "I knew something was up," he said. "I asked Hinata-chan this evening if she was covering for you, and she let it slip. Don't blame her – I forced it out of her."

"But Naruto-kun," Hinata said gently, handing out the cups of tea to everyone, "they're not the only ones with secrets, are they?"

Sasuke and Sakura frowned at Naruto, who squirmed under their gaze. "Well, it's not nearly as important as your secrets!" he burst out, a little flustered. "I just… well… I was telling Hinata-chan how much I wanted to improve… that's all. I wanted to learn how to be a better… leader, I guess, would be the term. What I'm trying to say is-"

"We get it," Sakura interrupted. "You should've told us, Naruto. You know you should've."

"You weren't exactly honest with me either," Naruto retorted quietly. "Besides, that's one less thing for you to worry about."

"You don't want us to know about your problems, but you want to know ours?" Sakura threw back. "That's not fair, is it?"

"Look, you guys," Hinata interjected in her softest voice. All three looked at her. "I think… you all should stop keeping secrets. No matter how your teammates get worried, letting them know the situation at hand is better than having them find out the hard way. Besides…" She smiled beseechingly. "Friends shouldn't keep those kinds of secrets from each other."

For a while, not a thing was said after Hinata's gentle reprimand. Finally, Sakura sighed and said, "Hinata-chan's right. It's time we should be able to trust each other with these secrets."

"You said something pretty cool, Hinata-chan," Naruto said appreciatively, and the Hyuuga girl reddened.

"But…"she began, "I haven't been completely honest with you guys, either." Avoiding the stares of the three, she explained, "I was keeping a secret, too. In fact, I kept three secrets. Each of you told me one secret, and even if I wanted to tell everyone for everyone's sake, I didn't. I wanted you guys to be the ones who bring them up. I guess I should've told you guys the secrets before all this could have happened."

"Maybe," Sasuke said, "but what's done is done. We can't take back our actions." Hinata sighed heavily and nodded.

"So what do we do now?" Naruto asked. "Sasuke and Sakura-chan's got stalkers-"

"-and you want a bit of training to improve," Sakura added. "I think sticking together would be the best solution."

"There's one thing that's bothering me, though," Sasuke said. "Sakura – Kakashi told me that it was you who made the temporary Secondary Seal on my Curse Seal. I don't recall you knowing that kind of jutsu prior to the Jounin Exam."

"No more secrets, right?" Sakura asked, sighing heavily as well. "You see…"

"_I can't teach you how to restrain Naruto's Kyuubi," Kakashi said, sitting Sakura down in one of the empty rooms of the Uchiha manor, "but I can teach you an emergency jutsu you can use should Sasuke's Curse Seal get out of control."_

"_Emergency?" Sakura inquired._

"_It's easier to learn, and to do," Kakashi replied. "You don't have to have the usual encryptions and rituals before sealing. The effect is immediate. The problem is, it's temporary. The strength of it will last only a day at least, so you will need me to reinforce it in the 24-hour period of its effect."_

"_And in the instance that you won't be there to reinforce it?" Sakura asked._

_Kakashi__smiled from behind his mask and tossed the jutsu scroll to her. "Then the proper Secondary Seal jutsu will be your first lesson after you get back from the Jounin Exams."_

"So you had Kakashi teach you?" Sasuke asked. "When was this?"

"After we got our permission slip to take the exams," Sakura replied. "I worked on it during the mornings, while you guys weren't awake yet. I thought, that due to the complexity of the jutsu, plus the effort it takes to do it, you might stop me."

"We wouldn't have!" Naruto protested. "If it was for Sasuke's sake-"

Sakura shook her head. "You would have. I know you." She looked around and stood up. "It's getting late. We have matches tomorrow. We'll deal with this by then."

"Don't get attacked again," Naruto warned, before he shut the door behind them.

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said softly. They were both in their beds, having left Naruto and Hinata 15 minutes before. "You awake?"

"I am now," Sasuke said, groaning a bit. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking about the matches tomorrow," Sakura said, staring up the ceiling. "They're going to be pretty hard and violent, especially with what's going on, right?"

"Possibly."

"Hey, Sasuke-kun."

"_What_, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, getting a bit exasperated.

"Promise me one thing."

Sasuke sat up and supported himself with his elbows. "Depends."

Sakura gave him a sidelong glance. "Can you please let me fight tomorrow?"

"What?" Sasuke asked, a little confused. "But you _are_ fighting-"

Sakura shook her head. "Not when you're my partner. You tend to hog all the fighting to yourself. Just promise me, okay? That you'll let me fight and not hold me back… even if you're doing it to protect me. Do you promise?"

Sasuke stared at her for a bit, contemplating his answer. Finally, he replied, "Whatever you want."

Sakura beamed.

"But if you get in trouble, I don't want to be held responsible. You're going to have to do it on my terms when you're already dying."

Sakura laughed. "Will do."

* * *

Naruto, apparently, was in as deep a sleep as squirrels in hibernation. So deep was his sleep that Hinata was convinced that _she_wouldn't be able to sleep, because the deepness of his sleep corresponded with the loudness of his snores. _He must be very tired, _Hinata thought, smiling sheepishly as she tried to bury her head deeper into the pillow.

Finally, she gave up trying to block out his noise and stood up to look at him. At first, she hadn't been comfortable with the idea that she was going to sleep in the same room as Naruto, but she warmed up to the idea eventually. She stood over his spread-eagled form now, staring into the blissfully asleep face of the blond.

Despite her annoyance at his loud snores, she couldn't help but smile fondly. What she wouldn't give to wake up to this sight every morning…

Hinata blushed and shook her head. _I shouldn't be thinking such things._

She stared at him some more, and after a moment of contemplation, she did something both very bold and quite un-Hinata-like.

Bending over slowly, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Mmnmm…" Naruto mumbled in his sleep.

The Hyuuga girl jumped back as though she had scalded herself, blushing madly. _What was I thinking, doing that?! _she thought wildly._If he woke up and saw me…_

Naruto gave a grunting snore, turned over to the other side, and slept on. Hinata sighed in relief. Tentatively, she reached for his blond locks and fingered them before deciding to go back to her own bed and try to get some sleep.

_Naruto-kun… I don't doubt that you'll do extremely well tomorrow… I hope that I'll be able to keep up with you, at least._

* * *

"Good morning!" Ino chirped, as chipper as ever. She dragged a dreary-eyed Shikamaru along, who looked as though he would rather sleep through the entire exam. 

"Sleep good?" Sakura asked, biting into the toast she had grabbed from the buffet table that the inn's personnel had set up for them.

"Better than the past few days, anyway," Ino replied, shrugging. "You?"

"It was all right," Sakura said. She rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb at Sasuke, who sat beside her. "It was pretty hard to block out my roommate's snoring-"

"I don't snore-" Sasuke began to protest, while Ino almost spat out her hot chocolate.

"-and after that, it was pretty easy to drift off," Sakura continued. She turned to Hinata. "I hope Naruto didn't keep you awake."

"W-well…" the girl addressed stammered, "i-it's like you said, Sakura-chan… it's easy to drift off after blocking it out…"

"Are you ready for the final two exams, Sakura-san, Sasuke-kun?" Lee asked as he drank his third cup of coffee for the day. (The persons present stopped wondering why he managed to stay hyperactive the entire day.) "I feel that it's going to be quite stimulating."

"We'll get by," Sakura replied cheerfully, though in the back of her mind, the events of last night still bothered her. After all the time the three of them had spent together after three years of being apart, she had thought that maybe, they would come to trust in one another. It bothered her that though she thought that, she had still kept a secret from them. She felt like a hypocrite.

"You seem pretty happy today, Sakura," Chouji commented, his breakfast tray loaded. "Nothing else weird happened last night after the garden?"

"Nothing too significant," Sakura lied, her smile as cheerful as ever. "Let's work hard for the last two exams, okay?"

About an hour later, the group headed into the stadium, led by one of the Gem chuunins. As they made their way through the streets, many people stared – the merchants and their customers, the schoolchildren, the artisans, and various others. It was as though they had not seen a gathering like this in their lifetime. _And they probably won't ever see it again, not in a long time, _Naruto thought, grinning to the schoolchildren who were waving at them. A child he had made eye contact with stuck his tongue out and waggled it. Naruto grimaced.

"Oh look, isn't that one _so_beautiful?"

"My my, that one would look like the perfect subject for my new painting!"

Sakura looked around and found that some of the Gem villagers where pointing at her, whispering and sighing. She smiled proudly. _Oh, the wonders of being outlandishly beautiful. I don't even get these kinds of stares in Konoha. _She flipped her hair for emphasis.

"Hey! Mister with the flawless white skin! Look over here!"

Sakura's eye twitched. _Mister!? _She looked around, and found that they hadn't been staring at her after all. They were talking about Sasuke. _WHAT!? _Sakura thought angrily, glancing at her Uchiha teammate, who didn't even look fazed at the attention. _And he doesn't even _know _they're squealing about him!_

"How about that pink-haired girl beside him? She looks like something to write home about."

"Nah. She looks like a gay man with that hair. Maybe if she grew it longer and it covered her forehead…"

Sakura could feel veins popping up on her aforementioned forehead. "I'm going to bang _his_ forehead into the fuc-"

"Drop it," Sasuke, who had been listening after all, said nonchalantly, not even looking at her. Sakura blinked. Sasuke grabbed a fistful of her hair and gently shook her head around. "If it helps, I think short hair is more practical."

The pink-haired girl's mouth dropped, falling silent as they entered the stadium. _Oh my goodness, he _is _right. I can't resist him. _She sighed submissively. _Damn._

The roar of the audience washed over their ears. The stadium, twice bigger than the one they had in Konoha, was jam-packed with people both from the Gem village and from the surrounding villages and countries. In a raised platform sat the Kages of the participating countries, Tsunade and Gaara among them. "Quite a number of yours this year, Hokage-dono," the Raikage commented, gesturing at the Konoha Chuunin who were now filing into their designated waiting area. "From what I hear, they're a particularly exceptional bunch of young Chuunin."

"You don't have a bad haul yourself, Raikage-dono," Tsunade responded cordially. "The Nekotachi clan's four most promising Chuunin have been making waves in your country, or so I heard."

"It's a pity that the Sand does not have much to account for this year," the Mizukage said smoothly, mockery outlining his words. Gaara frowned but said nothing, not one for words.

"Not as pitiful as the Mist, however," Tsunade spoke up, smiling shrewdly. "We heard how your candidates _almost_ made it through. But… that's none of my business."

"Ah, I'd forgotten that the Sand and the Leaf are allies," the Mizukage said, smirking shrewdly. "I guess part of the treaty would be that the Hokage shall speak for the Kazekage at all times?"

"Hokage-dono expresses a mutual feeling that I did not feel the need to voice," Gaara said quietly, speaking for the first time. "We condole in your lack of candidates." The Mizukage looked angry, while Tsunade looked impressed.

The Gem jounin who had oriented them the day before stepped into the middle of the stadium with a microphone in hand. "Thank you all for coming!" he greeted, gesturing at the swelling crowd. "Welcome to the fourth and fifth part of this year's Jounin Examinations!" The crowd roared as a single entity, whooping and cat-calling. "This year, we have 32 examinees who made it through the grueling process of the first three exams." The crowd cheered and booed. "The fourth exam is a two-on-two free-for-all. The match ends when one of the pair is down. Please take a look at the screens for the match-ups today."

Two large screens on either side of the stadium blinked to life. On the screen was a diagram of the two-on-two bouts. "Looks like who fights who has already been decided," Shino observed.

"Yosh!" Lee cheered, while Tenten turned a bit green. "We get the first match!"

Lee and Tenten jumped into the battlefield, while the Sound nin, who were at the other side of the stadium, jumped in as well. "Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "Isn't that girl that-?"

"Yeah, that is," Sakura said, nodding with a scowl. "I HOPE YOU BEAT THOSE GUYS INTO PUDDING! LEE-SAN! TENTEN-SAN!" she yelled, jumping and waving. Lee waved back, grinning, but Tenten continued to look grim. The two Sound nin glanced at her. Suigetsu merely blinked and shrugged, but Karin gave her a malicious smirk. She narrowed her eyes.

"Let the first match… begin!"

Tenten leapt to the sky, opening her giant scroll quickly and raining sharp weapons at the two Sound nin. Suigetsu promptly turned into a puddle of water, and Karin was left to fend for herself. She rolled away quickly, the kunai and shuriken nicking her in some places, though she had no serious wounds. "Suigetsu!" she snarled when the swordsman reformed. "You could've at least helped me dodge!"

Suigetsu grinned easily. "Oops, sorry," he said, though he clearly did not look sorry at all. "I forgot that I had to partner with an animal this time."

"If you weren't my partner I'd kill you myself!" Karin growled.

Tenten was back on the ground, and Lee rushed towards Karin and Suigetsu, who promptly turned into a puddle again, this time taking Karin with him. Lee whipped around, and Suigetsu reformed, swinging the head-cleaving sword at him. The Green Beast avoided the blow by a hairsbreadth and regrouped to the other side with Tenten.

"It seems just taijutsu won't work on them," Lee told Tenten. "They'll just turn into water. Any plans?"

"I might have something," Tenten replied, "but I need to do some preparation and observation for a while. Can you manage the two of them while I carry out my plan?"

Lee grinned, his teeth shining. "Count on me!" He ran off towards the two Sound nin, who sprung on him immediately. He dealt quick taijutsu moves at Suigetsu and Karin, but though Suigetsu could not swing his sword at him due to the swiftness of the attack, he could dodge every attack by turning into water as quickly as possible. Karin, in the meantime, could get some kunai slashes at Lee, putting the Konoha shinobi at a disadvantage.

"I could just go on and on like this until you get tired, you know," Suigetsu said, reforming from a puddle again. "Looks like your teammate isn't trying to help out."

Lee grinned confidently, though he missed Suigetsu yet again. "I have faith in my teammate! Besides, the eternal spring of youth will always provide me with limitless energy!"

"Just cut the crap!" Karin exclaimed, a little irritated, shooting metal strings from her sleeves and tying them around Lee. As he struggled, Suigetsu swung his sword towards Lee's neck.

"Now!" Tenten yelled, swinging her chain whip at Karin. Before the redhead could react, Tenten wrapped the chain whip around Karin's body, pulling her away from Lee. The metal strings around the green-clad ninja slackened, leaving him free to fight Suigetsu.

The Karin Tenten was dragging towards her turned out to be a Kawarimi. The weapons mistress gave a small "Tsk!" and threw several kunai at the real Karin, who jumped up to avoid them. Tenten threw shuriken at her, knowing she couldn't dodge in the air, but Karin was thinking quickly as well and threw shuriken of her own, intercepting Tenten's incoming shuriken. Lee, in the meantime, had engaged Suigetsu into a more intense taijutsu battle, wherein both were on even ground – Suigetsu could dodge by turning into water, but Lee was dealing quick blows that could sometimes intercept the moment when Suigetsu was in solid form.

The two separate battles, which had started on opposite ends of the stadium, were coming closer to each other. Tenten saw this as her chance. She swung a long-chained flail at Karin, who backed away to dodge the blow, and while the spiked ball at the end of the flail was in hang-time, Tenten threw a freezing bomb at Suigetsu. At about the same time, Lee punched Suigetsu, who effectively turned into water again. However, the bomb exploded, hitting Suigetsu and freezing him in place.

Lee and Tenten's triumphant expressions turned to surprise when Suigetsu thawed out and went back to his flesh form. "I control water," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. "You shouldn't wonder that I can thaw myself out."

Tenten gritted her teeth, and Lee frowned deeply. Karin and Suigetsu took advantage of this momentary pause in their movement to attack them. The Sound swordsman swung the heavy blade at Lee, who noticed in time to duck under the swing. Karin activated her Chakra scalpel and took a swipe at Tenten's chest, though the bun-haired kunoichi managed to block her swipe with her arms. She jumped away from Karin, but not before feeling some of her forearm muscles get severed. She winced, but knew she could still fight on.

Lee and Tenten were now back-to-back. "What do you think we ought to do now?" the female of the two asked. "We can just gang up on that Karin girl, but I have a feeling that the other one will try and stop us and we'll end up fighting him anyway."

"I have another idea," Lee murmured, daring not to take his eyes of Suigetsu. "Do you still have those freezing bombs of yours?"

"Yeah…" Tenten replied, not sure what Lee was getting at.

"What do you think will happen if I hit him while he's frozen?" Lee asked.

"Well, either he dies, or it will take him more chakra to put himself back together," Tenten theorized. "Shall we put it to plan?"

"Let's," Lee agreed, and ran towards Suigetsu again. Karin rushed to Tenten for another attack. The Konoha kunoichi opened her scroll again and summoned various weapons to rain on Karin, who became hard put at dodging them, and in the meantime, Tenten threw another freezing bomb at Suigetsu while he wasn't looking. Lee kicked Suigetsu, who turned into water, but got hit by a freezing bomb. While he was a block of ice, however, Lee followed up with another kick, breaking the ice block that was Suigetsu into pieces.

Just as they had predicted, the water-using Sound nin recovered from the blow, but a slower rate. Lee gave a quick nod to Tenten, and they proceeded as planned. Suigetsu was now hard-put in dodging both Lee and Tenten's attacks, while Karin was being kept at a distance by the weapons mistress, who threw multitudes of weapons at her every chance she could get.

Finally, all four were exhausted, though Lee looked as though he was still ready for anything to come. Suigetsu took his sword, but instead of swinging it at Lee, went for Tenten instead. "Tenten!" Lee exclaimed, whipping around. The chocolate-haired kunoichi was now caught in between Suigetsu and Karin, and she looked slightly stunned.

Fortunately, she reacted before any attack could reach her, swinging her chain whip around again and catching Suigetsu and Karin in it. Before Suigetsu could transform and phase out of the chainhold, Lee delivered the finishing blow, which was a powerful spinning kick aimed at both of them. "This is the power of youth!" he yelled, sending them flying across the stadium. They hit the opposite wall, Karin unconscious, and Suigetsu slightly cross-eyed.

Tenten's knees buckled, now exhausted, but Lee pumped his arm up in victory. "The winners of the first match – Rock Lee and Tenten!" the referee announced, to general applause.

Naruto was yelling and Kiba was cheering loudly at the top of his voice. "You show them!" Sakura yelled, waving her hands around and jumping.

"Who's got the next match?" Chouji asked, craning his neck to look at the diagram. Shikamaru tiptoed to look as well, and groaned.

"Us!" Ino cheered, pumping up her fist as Tenten and Lee climbed back up again. "C'mon, Shikamaru! Let's rock!" Shikamaru inhaled and exhaled deeply, then followed Ino into the battlefield.

"You did really well!" Sakura exclaimed to Lee and Tenten by way of greeting.

"You were great!" Naruto cried enthusiastically.

"The stars were on our side today," Tenten said with a tired smile, shrugging.

"No!" Lee exclaimed. "It was our explosion of energy that saw us through!"

"Where's Neji, anyway?" Tenten asked. "Isn't he even going to congratulate us for getting through the 4th exam?"

"Neji-niisan was here watching till you won," Hinata offered. "But he said he was going out for official business, but would come back when it was time for our match."

From the Kages' viewing deck, raised higher above the rest, was Temari, watching the goings-on down below beside her brothers, as Gaara's aide. Shikamaru happened to sigh and look up into the clouds overhead, and by chance, he caught Temari's eye. The blonde Sand kunoichi smirked at him and gave him a thumbs-up. Shikamaru returned the gesture with a faint smile. Beside the shadow user, another blonde kunoichi frowned deeply. "That _bitch_," she seethed to herself.

"You say something, Ino?" Shikamaru drawled, directing his attention back to his teammate.

Ino faked her most charming smile. "Oh, nothing, Shikamaru!"

"Well, if it's nothing, we better go ahead to the referee," Shikamaru said, patting her shoulder genially. This time, it was Temari who scowled. Ino stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes at the fan wielder, who rolled her eyes.

Their opponents were two Glass nin, whose faces were covered by masks. "Match 2, begin!" the referee said.

Shikamaru and Ino jumped away from the two Glass nin quickly, to make their plan right away. "Okay, get those brain juices going, Shika," Ino muttered, assessing the two Glass nin from afar.

"We don't know our enemies' skills, so let's do something before they start anything," Shikamaru said. "Listen…"

Moments later, one Glass nin threw a bunch of kunai at the them, and they dodged in opposite directions, Ino to the left, Shikamaru to the right. The other Glass nin aimed his shuriken at Ino, but she continued dodging them gracefully. The first Glass nin made a seal, and pressed his hands to the ground. Immediately, huge shards of sharp glass grew out of the ground towards Shikamaru, who jumped away from them. He landed at a safe distance from the first nin, and he formed the seal to trap him in his Kage Mane.

The second Glass nin, however, saw this action and immediately made more glass spring from the ground towards Shikamaru. Just as the nin directed his chakra towards Shikamaru, Ino thought quickly and connected her mind to the Glass nin, shifting his hands just slightly so that his aim was off. When Ino was certain it wouldn't hit Shikamaru, she let go of the control.

_Ino__is getting quicker at connecting and disconnecting her mind with her target, _Asuma thought as he watched from the bleachers. _She did that one in less than a second._

Shikamaru and Ino regrouped in the middle of the battle ground, while the two Glass nin were on either side of the battle ground. In a flash, the two Glass nin were making glass shards grow at an alarming rate from the ground, towards Shikamaru and Ino, who jumped to avoid it. However, the glass caught onto their legs, trapping them effectively.

To the Glass nins' dismay, the Konoha nin they had captured were not the Konoha nin at all, but replacements. The real Shikamaru and Ino had separated – the kunoichi had jumped up in the air and aimed several kunai at the first Glass nin, who made a makeshift glass shield right away. Ino recalled what Shikamaru had told her – these Glass nin, judging from their frames, weren't too good in taijutsu. She now went headlong into a taijutsu attack, kicking and punching, not allowing her opponent an opening to get into a farther range. She was no Lee, but she could hold her own.

The second Glass nin, in the meantime, crystallized a large shard of glass and aimed the sharp tip at Shikamaru's head. It flew towards him, and he spun to his right to dodge the crystal. It was then that the Nara realized he had not been the target all along – Ino was. "Shit!" Shikamaru muttered as Ino, engrossed in the taijutsu battle and too far for him to reach with his shadow, had her head in danger of being impaled.

Acting quickly, he directed his shadow towards the Glass nin aiming at Ino. When he had engulfed him with his Kage Mane, he made a slight change in the Glass nin's aim so that the huge glass went into another direction. The glass landed in between Ino and the Glass nin she was fighting, breaking their taijutsu battle but keeping Ino safe.

Shikamaru still had the second Glass nin under his control, but he could not do anything else. "Ino!" he yelled. "Finish it!"

The first Glass nin had jumped in the air, forming numerous glass shards and directing them at the two Konoha nin on the ground. The range of the glass shards was wide enough not to allow Ino to dodge easily if they were aimed at her. As the Glass nin was still in hang time in the air, Ino connected her mind with his using her Shinranshin.

_Aim it somewhere else, _Ino whispered into his mind, while keeping herself grounded to her real body. The Glass nin obeyed her and aimed the glass harmlessly at an empty space.

The Glass nin was landing back to the ground after Ino disconnected with his mind once more, and the blonde kunoichi threw several shuriken at him, hitting him in several places. Shikamaru, in the meantime, let go of the control and, without waiting for the second Glass nin to be able to realize he could move again, threw several shuriken at him as well. Both Glass nin fell just as the buzzer for the three-minute mark sounded.

The stadium erupted into cheers and jeers. Ino grinned at Shikamaru, who merely yawned. "Well, that was quick," was all he said, before heading up to the waiting area again with Ino.

"Oi! Lazy ass!" Naruto yelled, running up to Shikamaru. "That was really fast!"

"Not bad, Ino-pig," Sakura greeted, grinning at her voluptuous friend, who scowled.

"Like you can do any better, Forehead Girl," Ino said, sticking out her tongue.

Sakura smirked. "We'll see."

_But it was strange, _Shikamaru said to himself as Shino and Kiba jumped into the battle ground, ready for their match. Lee was shouting out luck for them, while Tenten watched on tiredly. _It was nearly too easy. Almost like… those Glass nin weren't trying to win at all._

"Next match is Shino and Kiba against those two from Cloud!" Naruto exclaimed. "Shino's fighting – this ought to be good!"

"Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun have improved so much as well," Hinata commented in her usual soft tone. "I'm sure they'll do well, too."

"I dunno…" Sakura said a bit skeptically. "I think that those Nekotachi girls were pretty good when we fought them in the labyrinth. I'd love to see them at full strength today."

"How odd is it, though?" Lee asked. "Kiba-kun is a dog trainer, while that other girl-" he pointed to the redhead with two large Persian cats, flanking her at either side, "-seems to prefer cats."

"So it's a cat-dog fight," Chouji said, nodding. "This should be interesting."

Shino and Kiba stood on one side of the referee, while Midori and Akai stood on the other. "How disgusting," Akai muttered under her breath, eyeing Akamaru with distaste. "To think that there would be anyone who would decide to associate themselves with such brutish animals…"

"Now, now, oneechan," Midori said, smiling sheepishly. "We shouldn't be rude. Dogs are okay, I think…" Akai merely huffed, her cats slinking around her ankles.

Kiba, on the other hand, was baring his teeth. "They have _cats_, Shino," he muttered to his teammate. "What the hell is wrong with the world?!"

"Well, you should be able to do well against your natural enemy," Shino replied.

"Match 3," the referee said, "begin!"

Midori took her tarot cards out and threw one into the air like a kunai, slashing Kiba's cheek slightly as it flashed past him. From out of the card appeared two puppets intertwined at the hands – The Lovers – both of which brandished swords and aimed them at Shino, who used his bugs to make a bunshin, effectively dodging the attack.

Meanwhile, Akai directed her cats at Kiba and Akamaru. "Pin-Pin! Min-Min!" she ordered. "Slash that brutish animal in the eyes!"

Kiba leapt onto Akamaru. "Don't call Akamaru brutish, you bitch!"

"Don't associate me with your kind, dog!" Akai sneered.

"Oneechan!" Midori admonished as she directed her puppets towards Shino. "Don't be _rude_!"

"You have no time to think of courtesy," Shino said quietly, appearing behind Midori, aiming a punch at her. The verdant-haired girl squeaked as the punch caught her in the back, sending her flying her forward. Acting fast, Midori directed The Lovers to catch her with their intertwined arms. She stood up again and summoned a new puppet – The Fool – and directed it towards Shino, its movement topsy-turvy so that it was hard to predict where it would move next.

Shino followed the Fool across the battlefield to see how it would attack. At about the same time, Akai and her cats had cornered Kiba and Akamaru towards Shino. "Now, Midori!" Akai yelled.

Midori flicked a finger, and out of the Fool's thin limbs shot out multitudes of metal string. Before Kiba or Shino could react, the puppet tied them together in a tangle of metal string. Shino and Kiba began to cut through the strings, but Akai's cats had slinked into the tangled fray. Kiba felt something furry rub against his ankles, and his goosebumps crawled his skin. "Oh, gross!" he shrieked, shuddering, as the cats rubbed themselves against his legs. "Get off me!"

Shino was getting away from the tangle, but Kiba was still engrossed with getting the cats off him. Finally, one of the felines managed to climb its way up Kiba's shoulders and gave him a lick on the cheeks. Akai lit up in delight when she saw that Kiba had gone off into paralysis at the contact, though he wasn't considered down yet. _He hates cats _that _much?_ Shino thought, shaking his head while Akamaru tried to keep the other cat away from him.

The Aburame could not help his teammate, however. As soon as he freed himself from the tangle, Midori rushed in for another attack. Midori flicked her fingers, and in a blink, The Lovers were in front of him again, brandishing three-foot-long spiked whips. The male of the two flicked its wrist, aiming the spiked whip at Shino, who deflected it with a slash of his kunai. However, the female had also whipped her own spiked whip at him, catching him unawares and slashing him in the ankles.

The bug user and the puppeteer kunoichi continued on in their heated and fast-paced battle. In the meantime, Kiba started recovering from the paralysis that one of the cats had given him, but Akai was on the prowl, so he remained frozen, not daring to move lest Akai finish him off.

Midori flexed her fingers again to bring The Lovers into another offensive attack, but just as she pulled a finger forward, something tugged at her muscles. _Crap!_ she thought. _Have I lost too much chakra already? But I've barely begun fighting!_

"My Kikai have already absorbed your chakra," Shino pointed out, and only then Midori noticed several bugs on her skin, absorbing her chakra. The Cloud nin tried to move her conjoined puppets again, but to her surprise, the limbs of the puppets refused to move. "My bugs have also invaded the joints of your puppets. They have been rendered useless."

Midori gave a little "Tsk!" but Shino had already gone forward, on the offensive this time. The viridian-haired girl, now slowed down because of chakra loss, could not do anything but block Shino's oncoming attacks. She felt desperation mount in her as she tried to block every taijutsu attack, and she called out, "Oneechan!"

"Right!" Akai called back, aiming her sharp claws at Shino. "Pin-Pin, Min-Min, watch over Dog Boy!"

Midori leapt away from Shino just as he was about to punch her again, and Akai replaced her in the battle. The hooded Konoha nin suddenly found himself driven back by the agile, feline-like moves of the redhead Cloud nin. "You're strong," Akai commented, swiping her sharp nails at Shino, who blocked her attack with several shuriken. "No one has lasted this long against me and my sister before."

"I should say the same for you," Shino replied, trying to drive Akai back, but the girl was too good in close combat to let her be driven back to a distance where Shino could attack properly. "I'm honestly having a hard time with you."

Akai merely smirked. "You should. Our clan's Neko Ken is the basis of all our most powerful attacks."

The lightning-quick taijutsu fight continued, and Shino began to wonder what had happened to Kiba and Akamaru. _They surely can't still be paralyzed, after all this time_, he thought. _What are they up to? And what is the other girl doing? Is she using this time to recover? _

Shino looked around, and to his shock, Midori was moving around, setting up three puppets in a perfect triangle around him. Then she brought her hands together in a seal. "Oneechan!" she yelled. "I'm activating The Judgement!" Akai nodded and flipped out of the way.

The Aburame found himself alone in the middle of the triangle. _What is this jutsu going to do?_ he thought, confused on what to do. A chakra barrier was being set up around him, and he could feel the energy building up. _It's too late to get away-_

"GATSUUGA!"

"Damn!" Akai exclaimed as Kiba and Akamaru spun like drills towards Midori, who was too much in concentration. Before she could stop the Inuzuka, he had hit Midori, and the younger girl flew in arc in the air. Akai leapt into action, swiping her claw at Kiba, who countered the attack with his own sharpened claws. Akamaru tried to aid his master, but the two cats came to Akai's aid and sank their teeth and claws at him. Midori and Shino leapt into action again, both in the offensive, with the Cloud nin using a different puppet but the same speedy puppetry.

Finally, the four nin delivered their final blows. Akai gathered her chakra into her claws, swiping at Kiba, who spun again but aimed at Midori. The green-haired girl, however, aimed her puppet's many blades at Shino, who was busy with trying to divert Akai from attacking Kiba. Shino, as a last resort, threw a barrage of kunai at Akai, who got thrown back by the force of these flying knives. Midori, in concern for her sister, withdrew her attack, but not without aiming a strong swipe in the chest at Kiba, who she passed as she leapt to her sister. The Inuzuka flew through the air, wounded, and would've hit a wall had Shino not caught him.

The referee looked from one side to the other, trying to determine who was going to win. From one side, Kiba was stirring, trying to stand up, but on the other side, Akai was also recovering. The two nin tried to stand up shakily, with their teammates trying to support them. In the end, because of the blood loss from the last attack, Kiba's knees buckled, and he fell forward.

"Winners of this match," the referee announced, "Nekotachi Akai and Nekotachi Midori!"

"Aww, they were so close!" Ino exclaimed as medics rushed forward to attend to Kiba and Akai. "If Kiba had only stood up longer than that other girl…"

"It was a good fight, though," Lee said, nodding approvingly. "As expected of Kiba-kun and Shino-kun."

As Akai and Kiba were being treated for their injuries, the Inuzuka brunet suddenly yelled out, "Hey, you!" Akai raised her head, frowning. "Just you wait – I'll beat you in the one-on-one, wait and see!"

"Not on your life!" Akai yelled back, mischief glinting in her feline-shaped eyes. Midori smiled at Shino, conveying her satisfaction with the match, and the bug user nodded. It was a silent agreement between them – it had been a good match.

_But it was strange, _Shino thought, while he accompanied Kiba to the infirmary. _I thought that the Kikai had already drained that tarot card-using girl of her chakra. And puppeteers don't usually have that much chakra reserves and taijutsu skill… but that girl was strange. She managed draw out more chakra than should be possible, and her moves spoke of great taijutsu training, which shouldn't be the case. It wasn't normal at all. _He gave a glance at Midori, who was now laughing with her sister._There's something quite off with that girl…_

Hidden in the shadows, Tobi clapped his hands. "That Midori girl was really good!" he said enthusiastically. "No wonder she's a jinchuuriki!"

"That wasn't her real strength yet, was it?" Deidara observed. "She was holding back to let her sister have some share of the fight, yeah."

"That's probably right," Kisame said. He bared his sharp teeth in a grin. "The one-on-one matches should draw out her real strength. Then we'll see what we're going to do with her."

Itachi nodded silently, having nothing else to say. It was just observation for now, after all. _Although, I can't help but wonder how my foolish little brother is going to do in this fight. He _is_used to fighting by himself, after all. It'll be interesting to see how much he's grown since the last time we met. Naruto-kun and Sakura-san, as well. _

Up at the balcony, the Kages of the different countries were discussing the previous match. "Your nins put up a good fight," the Raikage said amiably, obviously pleased at the match. "But in the end…"

"It was nearly a stalemate," Tsunade said, a little annoyed at the Raikage's patronizing tone. "But the fight was expected from the skilled ninjas of the Nekotachi clan."

"Hokage-sama," a deep voice said from behind the blonde Hokage. She turned to see Neji with a look on his face that spoke of urgency. "May I please talk to you about something?"

Tsunade stood up, just as the next match, one between Chouji and Aoba, and two Glass nins, commenced. "This had better be important, Hyuuga," she said authoritatively. "You're making me miss some very important matches."

The two of them walked into an isolated corner, far from the prying eyes and ears of other nins. After making sure that no one was eavesdropping, Neji began his report. "I did some recon around the general area, and found out some very disturbing things."

"Which are?"

"For one, the Akatsuki are here."

Tsunade's hazel eyes widened, then narrowed. "They're here? Are they after Naruto again?"

"I didn't get close enough to know what their intentions towards Naruto are, but I do know it's not him they're observing. They're observing two other nins – one from the Glass village, that Hokujo Bokun, and the kunoichi from the previous match, Nekotachi Midori. I looked into their chakra systems, and I found that-"

"-they have two chakra systems, one exponentially larger than the other," Tsunade continued for him. A little surprised, Neji nevertheless nodded. "As I suspected – the Akatsuki have found out that those two are jinchuuriki as well." She glanced at Neji sharply. "Who are the Akatsuki present today?"

"One is Uchiha Itachi, and his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Deidara, and an unknown Akatsuki who wears an orange mask," Neji replied. "Is there any action you'd like to take, Hokage-sama?"

"If the Akatsuki choose not to reveal themselves here, we must keep this from everyone, especially from Sasuke and his team," Tsunade said. "If Sasuke, Naruto, or Sakura get wind of the fact that Uchiha Itachi is here, they'll never let the matter rest. They must _not_ find out. Do you hear me?" Neji nodded. "And the other matter?"

"I have confirmed that the Glass nin are preparing some kind of siege on Gem today," the Hyuuga reported. "Apparently, Hokujo Bokun is their secret weapon for this invasion."

Tsunade rubbed her temple. "As I suspected, from your previous report. It's the Chuunin Exams all over again, isn't it?" she asked no one in particular.

"What sort of action are we going to take, Hokage-sama?"

"Well, we have our upcoming alliance with Gem to think about," Tsunade replied, "so even if we have limited manpower to offer, we might be obliged to help them. In any case, let us keep quiet about what we know for now – we had better not stir trouble yet. We'll inform the Yamakage of this invasion after the fifth exam."

"And should the Glass nin attack before then?" Neji inquired. Tsunade smirked.

"They wouldn't," she replied. "Even if they did, well, we Konoha nin do good in surprise situations, do we not? We'll just have to be vigilant and allow nothing to pass from our scrutiny. Just keep your guard up, Hyuuga. Tell the Chuunins to stay alert as well. Keep me posted on the situation."

Neji nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama." Without further ado, the Hyuuga head disappeared for more recon. Tsunade sighed and went back to the viewing deck. Why did bad things have to happen in this time of year?

"Winner of the fourth match," the referee announced. "Akimichi Chouji and Aoba!"

Chouji and Aoba, though a little dirty and slightly tired, grinned at each other and slapped their hands together. Ino was cheering at the top of her lungs, while Shikamaru looked on amusedly. "Whooo!" Ino yelled, jumping up and down while the rest of the stadium made more noise. "You go, Chouji, Aoba-san! You gave 'em the old one-two kick-punch combo and won!"'

Naruto was grinning widely. "Who cares about that!?" he yelled, and Ino glared at him. Hinata bit her lip, but the blond Kyuubi container paid no heed. "We have the next match!"

"Good luck, you guys!" Sakura said enthusiastically. "This is your moment! It's your time to shine!"

Hinata nodded meekly, nervous all of a sudden. "I shall… do my best."

"Don't hog the limelight to yourself, especially since you have the Kage Bunshin," Sasuke warned Naruto. "This is a team test. If you don't show teamwork-"

"Geez, Sasuke, I'm not stupid!" Naruto exclaimed, sticking his tongue out at his dark-haired teammate. "You're the one who does the hogging!" Sasuke scowled.

"N-naruto-kun," Hinata stuttered, and the blue-eyed nin turned to look at her. She was twiddling with her fingers again. "I don't know if I can…"

"Ah, come on, Hinata-chan!" Naruto pleaded. "This isn't going to work if you're not with me! Please?"

"You can do it, Hinata-chan!" Sakura added. "We've seen you at it, and you're great!"

"Your Shugohakke is unparalleled, and you have excellent genes!" Lee said. "You'll do just fine!"

"And Neji's been training you!" Tenten continued. "And I believe he's been a great teacher too!"

"Hey, Hinata," Kiba said seriously. "Didn't you say that you wanted to use this Exam to broaden your horizons and stuff? This is another opportunity to do that. Just think about your goal!"

Hinata drew her gaze to her feet while the rest waited for her answer beseechingly._I'm beginning to think that this was a mistake, _she thought. _Maybe I shouldn't have come-_

"You're going to be disappointing a lot of people if you don't do this, Hinata," a deep, reassuring voice said. The Hyuuga girl looked up.

"Neji-niisan!" she exclaimed softly. "You came back!"

Neji nodded. "I wouldn't miss this battle. Now – make us all proud. We all believe in your skill. You ought to believe in that too."

Hinata's eyes widened, and finally, she nodded. "All right, I'll do it, Neji-niisan. Let's go, Naruto-kun," she added, in a much stronger voice. Naruto beamed and pumped his fists up.

"Let's rock!" he yelled.

"Ah, Hinata?" Neji called just before Hinata leapt into the stadium. The girl looked back questioningly. The Hyuuga leader gave her the tiniest smile. "You're making Hiashi-sama very proud." Hinata looked as though she might cry, but after a moment, the look was gone. Without any further words, she leapt into the stadium.

Their opponents were a couple of Glass nin as well, one female, one male. "This should be easy," Naruto said confidently. "Their comrades didn't do too well – I'm pretty certain they're not going to do any good against us, either. What do you think, Hinata-chan?"

"Let's do our best, either way, Naruto-kun," Hinata replied.

"That's the spirit!" Naruto exclaimed, the grin never leaving his face.

"Begin!"

"All right, Hinata-chan, just like we practiced," Naruto said. "Remember way back during training?"

Hinata nodded, activating her Byakuugan. "I'm ready."

Naruto created three Kage Bunshin. Two Kage Bunshin rushed to the first Glass nin, while the original Naruto with a clone rushed to the second Glass nin. In unison, the four Narutos kicked the Glass nins up into the air, breaking their defenses right away. Hinata went in for the offensive, jumping up while the nins were in hang time. As they fell to the ground, Hinata pushed chakra into their systems with her Jyuuken, moving quickly with her natural flexibility. She gave her final blows, sending both Glass nins flying into opposite directions.

The first Glass nin flipped to her feet and did a seal, pressing her palms to the ground. Glass shards burst out of the ground towards Hinata, who jumped up to avoid them. However, the second Glass nin did a seal himself, making a giant pillar of glass shards appear above Hinata, who couldn't dodge in the air. "Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed, quickly making a Kage Bunshin appear beside Hinata. The clone pushed Hinata out of the way, and got crushed by the tall column of glass, instead of the Hyuuga girl.

The two Glass nin rushed to trap the two of them in the middle again. Before Hinata or Naruto could run, tiny but sharp glass shards formed around them and flew towards them. No time to run away, the blond of the pair quickly did seal and created a wall of earth around the two of them, so that the glass shards were embedded into the wall. "Good call," Hinata breathed out in relief.

The dark-haired kunoichi ran to the nearest Glass nin – the male one – and used Jyuuken to wear him down. In defense, the male Glass nin quickly created glass barriers, so that each time Hinata tried to get a hit in, all she hit was glass, keeping the Glass nin safe. On the other side, Naruto, with sheer brute force of his Kage Bunshin, was trying to break through the glass barriers the female one was creating one after the other. So far, he had not injured the female Glass nin at all.

_They're just trying to tire us out! _Hinata realized._Their specialty is probably defensive ninjutsu, so this was the best strategy for them to take! _"Naruto-kun!" she called out, flipping away from the Glass nin she was fighting towards Naruto, who leapt away from the female Glass nin as well.

"They're trying to tire us out," the Hyuuga girl said under her breath.

"Tsk – I knew something was up," Naruto muttered.

"What do you want to do, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

The two-minute buzzer sounded, and Naruto got an idea. "Hey, Hinata-chan, wanna finish this quickly?" he asked his partner, grinning mischievously.

"Do you have a plan in mind?" Hinata asked.

"All they've been able to do so far are Glass ninjutsu and some defensive stuff," Naruto said. "They probably attack far-range most of the time, so I have something I wanna try…"

The two Glass nin went on either side of the two Konoha nin again. Hinata and Naruto's opponents quickly created seals, and there appeared two fifteen-foot-tall columns of glass shards, coming towards them and threatening to crush the two of them. "Ready, Naruto-kun?" Hinata murmured.

"Right!" Naruto exclaimed, creating three Kage Bunshin. Two of the Kage Bunshin started creating Rasengan, while the original and another clone created another Rasengan. As the two glass shard columns were just the right distance from them, the blue-eyed nin and his clones leapt into action and slammed the spheres of chakra into the two columns.

The glass columns exploded into huge glass shards. Just as the glass threatened to embed themselves into Hinata and Naruto's flesh, the female of the duo began to mold her chakra as fast as possible. When the glass shards were mere inches from Naruto, Hinata began. "Shugohakke: Rokujuu Yonshou!"

Her palms came flying in all directions, her chakra deflecting the glass shards from them. The shards, instead of coming towards them, went flying towards the Glass nin instead. Before either nin could react, the glass they themselves had molded pierced and sliced through their skin, rendering them much too wounded to fight back.

The glass shards were deflected completely. Naruto grinned and raised his palm for a high-five. "Great job, Hinata-chan!" he exclaimed. A little lost for words, Hinata nevertheless managed to recover and smiled as well, slapping her palm against Naruto's raised one.

"Winners of the fifth match," the referee announced to the general public, "Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata!"

The crowd roared in delight just as the three-minute buzzer sounded, the fight being the quickest and most explosive so far. The Konoha kunoichi on the viewing deck – Tenten, Ino, and Sakura – were all screaming and shrieking with excitement, jumping up and down. "Hinata-chan!" Sakura yelled. "You were AWESOME!"

"You go, Hinata-chan!" Tenten cheered, pumping her fists up and down.

"Hinata-chan, we love you!" Ino screamed, waving her arms.

On the other hand, beside Tenten, Lee was shouting, "Naruto-kun! You've exploded with awesome youthful energy! We are proud of you!" Neji nodded at Hinata, satisfied at the turnout, but Sasuke merely smirked at Naruto, saying nothing.

Hinata blushed at the girls' cheering, and Naruto pouted. The only one cheering for him was Lee. "Sakura-chan and Sasuke could at least cheer for me," he complained. "I'm their teammate!"

"You were great, Naruto-kun," Hinata said earnestly.

"Yeah, well, coming from you, that sounds pretty good," Naruto conceded, grinning down at Hinata, who reddened even deeper.

_So that's their game_, Tsunade thought, watching the Glass nin be carried to the infirmary to be treated for their injuries. _The Glass nin fight in the Exam, but expend as little chakra as possible, so as to preserve their chakra without blowing their cover completely. Hinata and Naruto aren't even too injured. But the plan backfired a bit with those two particular Glass nin. _She smirked. _Hinata's__final attack injured them too much – they won't be participating in the invasion. _

Sakura glanced at the screen with the diagrams for the bouts. "The next battle will be between another pair of Glass nin, that Hokujo Bokun with his partner, some guy named Dangan, and a pair of Cloud nin – Nekotachi Aoi and Shiro," she informed everyone. "Then it'll be yet _another _pair of Glass nin against those two other Sound nin, Taido and Juugo. Then, finally…"

"…it'll be our match against those Sand twins, Seikatsu and Shikyo," Sasuke continued, nodding. Sakura sighed, and the Uchiha prodigy raised an eyebrow. "Nervous?"

"Just a little," Sakura said. She smiled up at Sasuke. "But you're going to be with me. I've got nothing to be afraid of."

Sasuke snorted. "Obviously not," he said arrogantly. He gave a fleeting look at the Sand twins, and the female of the two met his eye. She smirked at him, and Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "They don't stand a chance."

Bokun and Dangan were already in the stadium, as well as the Nekotachi duo. "Ready for this, Bokun?" Dangan asked. "You'd better let me fight too – this is a teamwork exam, after all."

"I'm not an idiot," Bokun said. "But I'll let you have your share of fighting."

Dangan shook his head, not believing it for a second. But he merely sighed and said, "Have it your way, Bokun."

_That's right_, Bokun thought proudly. _I'm going to show these idiots that a jinchuuriki like me is capable of succeeding._

"Let the sixth match… begin!"

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Sakura:**Our match against those Sand twins is going to start soon! I never realized I'd be this nervous… but Sasuke-kun is with me. I shouldn't be this nervous… right?

But ours isn't going to be the only explosive battle, either. There are two other matches to watch out for, after all. I have a feeling that those two matches are going to be a lot more brutal than the previous matches we've been watching…

But we're going to have to do our best, I suppose. After all, it's no joke to have two particularly murderous nins after you. And I'm not just talking about me, either.

Next chapter, _SasuSaku_ _Special – A Combo Is Born!_

Sasu… Saku… homigoodness, doesn't that sound so… _kya!_

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**AN:**(1) Killing Hands Technique. 

Yes, the next chapter is called _SasuSaku_ _Special. _This is my Christmas gift to all the SasuSaku fans out there reading my fic! Hopefully I get it out within December, though – I'm going to be on Christmas break, after all.

Just an explanation – I had a hard time making all those fight sequences, so I apologize if I was quite delayed in updating the fic, and if the fight sequences suck. There are just some characters that I can't seem to get down pat. Karin and Suigetsu, for example – I believe that Karin might be skilled somehow in medical ninjutsu though all we've seen from her in the manga is her tracking skills, while Suigetsu, being an excellent Mist ninja, is supposed to be well-versed in water ninjutsu. So that's where I drew my inspiration for them from.

Also, I never showed Chouji and Aoba's battle because I was unsure of how to portray them. I know Chouji's skills well enough, I just wasn't sure about Aoba. He's a very minor character, after all, and really, their battle was rather unimportant. But I'll show Chouji a bit in the fifth exam.

So… please leave a review! I worked extra hard on this chapter, so I hope you weren't disappointed!


	24. SasuSaku Special – A Combo Is Born!

**AN:** Hey! It's the chapter the SasuSaku fans have been anticipating – the SasuSaku special! I hope I do justice with it – it's been a long time since I wrote a chapter that's dedicated SasuSaku. Of course, it's not just them either – there are a couple of other matches that are important to this story as well. There are two matches between two pairs of OCs – why this is important will be explained as the chapter flows. For those who might want to skip these matches just because they're OCs, be warned: some important plot details are going to be revealed in those bits of storyline, so you might miss them.

It's already February, and I know I promised to have it in before December ended. But like I've been saying quite oftener, real life gets in the way a lot. I have a feeling this is going to be shorter than the last two chapters I've churned out, though – there are only three matches, and no sidestories whatsoever. But I'll try to put in a lot of commentary to lengthen it a bit. Gasp! You found out about my technique! – faint -

Thanks for the reviews, by the way! I'm really relieved that you found the fight scenes okay. I hope it's the case for this chapter as well. Please continue supporting me! – bows -

* * *

**Chapter 24:**

**SasuSaku Special – A Combo Is Born!**

* * *

The crowd buzzed in anticipation, masking the conversation of the hidden ones overhead. "What did you think of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki's battle, sempai?" Tobi asked enthusiastically. "He was pretty skillful and flexible with taijutsu, wasn't he?" 

"Che," Deidara muttered, still remembering how badly he had been beaten the last time he had encountered Naruto, who was with Kakashi at that time. "He's not that special, hn."

"Still – that wasn't his full power yet, was it?" Kisame asked. His sharp teeth glinted when he grinned. "It'll be wonderful to see what kind of power he can draw with the Kyuubi inside him. It's fascinating. I can almost feel my Samehada eating up the power…"

"The Nibi girl was also remarkable, hn," Deidara said, nodding. "That was excellent puppetry, though she didn't bring out the Nibi's power at all. We have yet to see her draw strength from it, hn. It'll be a challenge trying to capture her."

"Let us focus on the next match," Itachi reminded them. "It's the Hachibi jinchuuriki's turn now, and it seems he will be showing us a glimpse of what his tailed demon can do."

Meanwhile, on the Kage viewing deck, Tsunade was ecstatic about the results of the previous battle. "Naruto did excellently, wouldn't you say, Gaara-dono?" she asked the jade-eyed young Kage enthusiastically.

He nodded. "I've always known him to surpass expectations."

"It's times like these when I feel confident I can leave him my title as Hokage," Tsunade said, smiling proudly.

"But isn't he a jinchuuriki?" Tsunade heard the Tsuchikage mutter under his breath.

"Do you mean something by that, Tsuchikage-dono?" Gaara asked quietly, politely tilting his head.

"A-ah, no," the Tsuchikage amended. "I merely thought… ah, never mind."

_Even now, the term jinchuuriki still sounds ominous to most,_ Tsunade said to herself. _But Gaara and Naruto are going to change that, in the near future. I'm counting on them. They have the power to change the world._

Down on the stands, sitting in a row, were the four jounin teachers. "The youngsters have shown excellent skills so far," Asuma said positively. "I'm pretty proud of the way my group turned out."

"So am I," Kurenai agreed, nodding. "Hinata, especially. She was the one I was worried about the most, but it looks like she's bloomed into an excellent kunoichi. And though Shino and Kiba lost, they showed great skill nevertheless – I don't regret being their jounin teacher at all."

"My Lee and Tenten let their youthful awesomeness burst forth!" Gai exclaimed, proud tears running down his cheeks. "As expected of them – they will become jounins, and my students shall all be on even footing with me, letting us bask equally in the sunset of glory!"

Kurenai laughed sheepishly at this declaration. Kakashi merely shook his head. "Even if _my_ students make jounin this year, I doubt they'll be on even footing with me any time soon. They still have a long ways to go."

"That's pretty harsh, Kakashi," Asuma commented, laughing.

The white-haired Copy Ninja merely shrugged. "The three of them are aiming for some pretty high ambitions, especially that Naruto. I can't say that they haven't improved since I first started teaching them, though – I have to admit that, in some ways, they've equaled me or surpassed me. Naruto really surprised me with that last battle, though. It's good to see him take the lead like that, and be good at it. He's grown up a lot. Now I just want to see how Sasuke and Sakura are going to measure up."

"Let the sixth match… begin!"

_Those two Glass nin don't look quite so ordinary, _Sasuke thought, observing the Glass nin who were in the stadium, facing the two Cloud nin. _I've never seen a face that arrogant on a Glass nin's face before, in the previous matches. _He drew his dark eyes towards the smirking brunet nin, and frowned a bit. _There's an odd feeling about him. Something… that I might have found in the Sound. I can't put my finger on it though…_

"That Hokujo Bokun sure is something," Sakura said under her breath.

"Hm?" Sasuke grunted by way of asking.

"You've heard of him, haven't you?" Sakura asked.

"Not really."

"Well, Hokujo Bokun is a powerful nin from the village of Hidden Glass," Sakura explained. "The Hidden Glass village has been falling apart since a few years ago, since around the war. Their village elders thought that if they gained a powerful tailed demon, they would rise above the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Of course, it didn't happen that way. It's unknown if they really ever acquired a tailed demon, but they've only fallen into deeper troubles since."

"And what does that have to do with Hokujo Bokun?" Sasuke pressed.

"I heard that he was supposed to be a candidate for jinchuuriki when he was conceived," Sakura replied. "He's rumored to be really powerful, though, jinchuuriki or not –but this power of his made him pretty arrogant. Kind of like someone I know," the medic added, grinning at Sasuke, who merely snorted derisively. "Anyway, it's this arrogance that sort of contributed to their village's downfall. He's so arrogant, that when he's sent to other ninja villages as a bodyguard to ambassadors who will forge treaties for Hidden Glass, he always manages to ruin it with his enormous amount of pride. But rumor has it that Hidden Glass can't do anything about it, because of his tendency to go berserk. It goes to show how low the Hidden Glass village has fallen. They can't even control their own ninja."

"So I'm guessing a smack to his pride will make him go berserk?" Sasuke asked. Sakura nodded. "Figures. It's looking to be dangerous for those two Cloud nin."

On the other viewing deck, Akai and Midori were watching over their male cousins, now fully healed after their match with Kiba and Shino. "Aoi-nii and Shiro-nii have been training for this exam for a long time," Midori said enthusiastically. "I hope they win!"

"They're bound to," Akai said confidently. "I've watched them train – no one has a better tag-team tandem than they do. They don't suck individually, either. They've got this exam covered."

"Go, Aoi-nii, Shiro-nii!" Midori cheered, waving her right arm up and down. "You beat those guys!"

Aoi and Shiro grinned at each other, then waved at their cousins. Bokun made an impatient noise. Before he could blink, though, the two Cloud nins had started their attack. Aoi, a blue-haired nin, began his attack with quick cat-like moves, his fingers tipped with sharp steel. He wore several bells around his waist, creating a dizzying ringing sound around the two Glass nin as he moved swiftly. Before the two Glass nin could formulate a counter attack, Aoi attacked them with agile, lightning quick moves, scratching them in their faces and chests. The only action Bokun and Dangan could seem to take were to block these attacks, so that only their arms were injured.

Before the two of them could recover, Shiro had jumped in for a new attack, his two tabby cats leaping into action with him. The white-blond nin attacked Bokun with agile punches an kicks, to which the brunet responded to with blocks with his arms, while the two tabby cats attacked Dangan, one biting his ankles and the other trying to reach over and scratch his eyes. The raven-haired nin flailed around, trying to get the cats off him, but they had a firm hold on him and refused to let go.

"The advantage of having small animals like cats to be battle partners is rather large," a voice behind Ino and Chouji said.

"Ah, Shino, you're back!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I wasn't too injured," Shino explained. Kiba came in after him, looking nearly as good as his dark glasses-donning teammate.

"Oh, Kiba-kun, you're all right as well?" Hinata asked, her eyes full of concern.

"Eh, they healed me up as best as they could," Kiba said, shrugging. "The service here is great! Konoha doesn't heal like this – to 100-percent efficiency, that is."

Sakura gave him a dark scowl, to which he cringed. "Konoha medics don't heal you to 100-percent because they need their chakra to heal other people, given that we have a lot more nins going through our hospital," she shot at him. "Besides, we let the natural healing process take place in your body as well, or else your body will become resistant to healing techniques."

_Urgh, I forgot that Sakura is a hospital crew member, _Kiba thought, grimacing.

"Besides, Kiba-kun," Hinata added good-naturedly, "they heal you 100-percent here because you might get to move on to the next part of the exams, the one-on-one. They need you in tip-top shape, after all – that's what our senseis keep saying."

"Anyway, Shino, why did you say that cats are an advantage?" Naruto piped up.

"They're small animals, so the enemy tends to underestimate them," Shino explained as they continued watching the battle between the Glass and Cloud nins. "And the fact that they're small lets them get under the guard of their opponent." Naruto nodded at the explanation.

Finally, Dangan managed to drive the cats away by slashing at them with kunai – they let go of him and he jumped away from them. As he was in mid-air, he threw small bombs at Shiro, driving him away from Bokun. Aoi and Shiro regrouped at one side of the stadium, while Bokun and Dangan went to the other.

"I don't need your help, Dangan," Bokun hissed.

"This is a teamwork exam, Bokun," Dangan reasoned. "I'm _supposed_to help you!"

"You help me by taking care of the other opponent," Bokun muttered harshly. "Keep that one busy, while I take this one out."

Dangan didn't like it, but who was he to refuse? "Got it," was all he said in reply.

The two rushed into battle again, but the Nekotachi nin were alert and rushed headlong into the skirmish as well. Aoi and Shiro, seeming to sense that Bokun was the more powerful one, went to gang up on him, while Shiro ordered his cats to take Dangan on.

"Use your agility to dodge his bombs," he ordered the cats, who nodded before jumping into battle with Dangan.

"Here comes one of their deadly combos," Akai observed, leaning against the railing with a smirk.

"The Glass nin are done for," Midori agreed. "Go, Shiro-nii, Aoi-nii!"

Shiro used his speedy cat-like taijutsu on Bokun again, effectively breaking his defenses. He swiped his own steel-tipped fingers at the raven-haired Glass nin, effectively breaking the skin on the chest. Bokun aimed a heavy-handed punch at Shiro, but the Cloud nin merely ducked under his outstretched arm and swung his leg to knock Bokun's feet off the ground. Bokun tripped, but he managed to gain his bearings and flipped in the air before he could fall on the floor.

He landed two meters away from Shiro. But before he could do much else, Aoi threw several kunai, which were tainted with paralysis poison, at him. The dark-haired Glass nin deflected the rain of kunai with several shuriken of his own, but a kunai managed to slice him across his shoulder, making him wince.

"Bokun!" Dangan yelled, still busy with the ninja felines. _Crap – I have to get to him before he…_

Bokun tried to widen his eyes, but he looked a little punch-drunk. That didn't stop Aoi and Shiro from attacking him, though. Shiro dived for another attack, kicking and punching, and Bokun's sluggish movements weren't enough to defend against them. Shiro flipped away, and Aoi went in for the offensive again, until Bokun slumped to the ground, nearly defeated.

"This match is over," Tenten commented, leaning over on the rail. "This match is going to the Nekotachi duo." However, beside her, Neji narrowed his eyes in scrutiny.

"I-I'm… not so sure…" Hinata piped up softly, leaning against the rail as well. "There's an odd flux in that cocky one's chakra system."

"Odd flux?" Kiba asked. "What does that mean?"

"I can't describe it either," Hinata confessed. "It just looks… unstable."

"Will it affect the match?" Sakura asked.

"It should," Sasuke replied. "You've seen it happen. Me and Naruto, remember?" The Konoha shinobi surrounding him all frowned. They knew how chaotic those encounters were.

They turned their attention to the fighters below. Shiro and Aoi were poised to give their final blows, placing themselves a few meters from the struggling Bokun. Dangan threw one cat off, and slashed the other one with a kunai. "Bokun!" he yelled again, rushing towards the slumped over Glass nin. The two Nekotachi shinobi then leapt into action for the final blows.

"It's over!" Akai exclaimed happily.

But then, Midori gasped in horror. "L-look!"

As Aoi and Shiro were in midair, a sudden wave of energy surrounded Bokun, completely throwing them off course. Shiro toppled towards the floor, while Aoi barely managed to not get slammed on the wall. "What the hell…?" the blue-haired nin muttered.

Tsunade chanced a glance at the seats in the box below them. Sitting in the box were the Kages of lesser villages. Among them was who she knew to be the Kage of the Hidden Glass. He looked calm, but there was no mistaking the anticipation in the way he leaned forward to see what was going to happen to Bokun. _Whatever you're planning for today, _Tsunade thought disdainfully, _it's_ _a hundred years too early. Whatever invasion you're planning isn't going to work._

But that didn't seem to be the concern of that particular Kage right now – Bokun was. _They said he was powerful_, Tsunade thought to herself. _I wonder by how much…_

Bokun was getting up, slowly, his expression dark and oozing with malice. Dangan gritted his teeth and muttered a few choice curses under his breath. "I was too late – this is going to be dangerous."

Shiro's face turned grim. "That Bokun fellow is too dangerous to take down," he said quietly. "Let's take his partner down instead, before he decides to take _us _down." Aoi nodded in agreement. They leapt into action, aiming for Dangan, who readied himself for the onslaught.

_Of course, _the Glass nin thought, _not that it's coming._

Before Shiro and Aoi could get a meter within Dangan's radius, they were forcefully knocked away by a blur. Aoi hit his head on a wall, blood trickling down his forehead, while Shiro was able to get up, though, he felt as though he had fractured a rib. And standing a meter in front of Dangan, radiating a kind of dark blue energy, was Bokun, his face murderous.

"What_is_ that chakra?" the Mizukage said under his breath. "It couldn't be…"

_It's exactly what it is, _Tsunade said, frowning deeply. In the corner of her eye, she could see Gaara's face twitch a bit. _It's a tailed demon's chakra._

"There it is, it's coming!" Tobi said excitedly, clapping his hands. "Isn't this exciting, Deidara-sempai?"

"Yeah, yeah, hush," Deidara said impatiently. "I want to know what happens next."

Bokun faced Shiro and Aoi, who had regrouped at the other end of the stadium, evaluating their opponent. "So why are you playing with small fry," he indicated Dangan, "when you could play with _me_?" The Nekotachi pair tried their best not to show their fear. Bokun's face turned feral, and the audience could have sworn that he had suddenly grown fangs. "_ARE YOU UNDERESTIMATING ME!?_"

Before anyone, even the agile Nekotachi two, could react, Bokun had raced towards their end of the stadium, appearing before them to attack. He took Aoi by the collar, threw him in the air, and slammed his elbow down into the blue-haired nin's gut. "You were the one who poisoned me, "Bokun seethed. "Now, how does it feel to be defenseless!?"

"Aoi!" Shiro exclaimed, jumping up to help his brother. However, it was to no avail, because Aoi was slammed into the floor. As Shiro was in mid-air, Bokun met him. The white-blond nin's eyes widened as Bokun grinned malevolently at him. He couldn't dodge in air, but he tried to block Bokun's oncoming punch. It was to no avail, as even Shiro's arm guards were no match for Bokun's powerful blows. At the last blow, Shiro hurtled to the ground as well, shards of his broken arm guards digging into his skin.

_That guy isn't normal at all! _Aoi thought, straining to stand up. _How can he move with the paralysis potion in his system, and how can he release such dangerous chakra?! Could it be… he's just like what Midori is?_

The Nekotachi boys tried to stand up again, as everyone watched nervously. Bokun was not done yet, however. He proceeded to attack Aoi and Shiro, who couldn't evade or block his attacks anymore, as the blows came with a strength that their defenses couldn't withstand.

"Aoi-nii! Shiro-nii!" Midori yelled worriedly. "Oi, you! That's enough!"

"The match has to be stopped," Tsunade said curtly as the crowd roared.

"Stop the match!" the Yamakage yelled to the stunned Gem nin referee. "Stop it!"

Several Gem jounin went on the scene, along with the referee, to restrain Bokun from beating Aoi and Shiro to within an inch of their lives. "Stop! Stop!" the referee yelled.

"Wait!" Dangan shouted, rushing forward. The Gem jounin looked at him. "_I_can stop him. This is what I'm here for. This is still our match – please don't interfere." The crowd of Gem jounin let him pass, and he took out a paper seal. Putting together a few hand seals and then molding chakra, he leapt to where Bokun was still pummeling Aoi and Shiro. His momentum was slowing down, and the two Cloud nins were able to block out his attacks better, though they looked worse for wear.

As Bokun was still preoccupied with trying to get in more attacks, Dangan had jumped in and stamped the seal on Bokun's forehead. A long silence followed – the entire stadium fell into a hushed murmur, as they waited to see what would happen.

Finally, the dark-haired Glass nin fell on his knees, suddenly placated. The Gem jounin retreated to their previous stations, and the referee looked at the two sides of the battle. On one hand, Aoi, who had gotten the brunt of Bokun's force, was unconscious, while Shiro was heavily bruised and wounded. On the other hand, Bokun was nearly unconscious, but still blinking a little dazedly from the power of the paper seal on his forehead, while his partner, Dangan, was relatively unscathed, save for the scratches and bite marks from the Nekotachi's tabby cats.

The Gem referee shook his head. _They don't pay me enough for this._"Winner of this match – Hokujo Bokun, and Dangan, of the Hidden Glass!"

The crowd burst into loud conversations once more. "Was that right? Was that supposed to happen?" Naruto asked, confused. "Those cat dudes had great teamwork! Aren't they supposed to be judged through teamwork?"

"But they lost, even with that teamwork," Ino said, tearing her eyes off from watching the Nekotachi duo being brought by Gem medics out of the stadium. "I suppose the judges are keeping the teamwork as separate criterion. Winning is apparently a different factor."

"It was sort of teamwork as well, when that guy restrained Bokun from killing those Cloud nin," Sasuke commented.

"But still!" Tenten exclaimed. "It… It just doesn't feel right awarding them the match!"

"All's fair in love and war," Shino said quietly. "The decision is final and irreversible. We'll just have to see what happens in the one-on-one matches."

The Konoha nins agreed with nods. Soon, the battlefield was cleared for the seventh match of the day. Tsunade glanced at the diagram on the giant screen and frowned. _Another two Sound nins – Taido and Juugo. _She bit her glossy lips. _From what I've heard, Juugo was the one with the Curse Seal who attacked Sasuke and the others last night, while Taido is…_

Her train of thought broke as she caught someone's eye, way across the stadium, skulking in a corner, obscured in darkness. His thin mouth twitched to another small smirk, but Tsunade stared back defiantly, her fingernails digging into her skin.

Orochimaru was not seated in the place of honor, where all the Kages from the different participating villages were seated. He was not respected as Otokage, for everyone knew of his status as an S-Rank missing nin. But as long as they were observing the Jounin Exams, no one would be able to touch him. It was all part of the Jounin Exam treaty, and she cursed herself for agreeing to those terms. But if she hadn't, it would not bode well for the status of Konoha.

That was why Tsunade felt frustrated. She was close – so _close ­–_ to the target of her wrath, but right now, he was protected by something more than physical force. He was protected by _law –_the very force he had broken when he left Konoha – and Tsunade's adherence of it.

She sighed – no good would come from worrying about Orochimaru. She would deal with him when time came, but as of the moment, the Jounin Exams were more important. She put her attention back to the two Sound nins, and their opponents, which were another pair of Glass nins.

"You're enjoying this," a white-haired nin beside Orochimaru commented. "Tsunade-hime squirming like that… it's like a treat for you, is it not?"

An amused smile crept up the Snake Sannin's face, as he regarded his assistant. "You know me too well, Kabuto," he said silkily. "It's rare I ever get to see the famous Tsunade-hime, and even rarer to see lose composure like that. I'm positively _ecstatic_ at the chance."

"It's Taido-kun's match that's next," Kabuto said, prompting.

"Ah, yes, that Taido-kun," Orochimaru said, nodding as Juugo and Taido made their way to the battlefield. "His eyes aren't quite as useful as the Sharingan, but his clan's eyes, the Shakugan (1), can do multitudes of mind-altering things as well. If we should fail to retrieve Sasuke-kun again, he will be the replacement. He's strong, nearly as strong as Sasuke-kun, and he will serve his purpose well.'

"The fact that he's unquestioningly loyal to you is an advantage as well," Kabuto added. "He has not run away, not once, unlike Sasuke-kun."

"But if everything goes right," Orochimaru said, a vicious grin spreading on his mouth again, "we can change that."

Taido and Juugo made ready to get into the arena, but a white hand with long, red fingernails clasped onto Taido's upper arm. "What is it now, Tsubame?" Taido asked, his face as indifferent as always. Their jounin guide snapped her large red-and-gold fan close.

"There will be a moment in time when you'll have to control Juugo," she said quietly. "Have you worked out what you will do for that?"

Taido pried off Tsubame's hand. "I've got it." With that, the conversation was over, and the two Sound nin jumped into the stadium to face their opponents.

"Let the seventh match… begin!"

"It's started!" Chouji exclaimed.

"That nin's the one we fought in the hedge maze," Naruto pointed to Juugo. "The heavy-set one."

"And his companion was one of persons I met in the labyrinth," Sasuke added quietly. "I don't think he showed me any real skill back in the labyrinth, but we shall see what he can do now."

Juugo and Taido's opponents were two Glass nin – a bulky six-footer with heavy metal shackles on his wrists, and a small nin with monkey-esque features, sitting on the huge one's shoulder.

The fight began. The bulky Glass nin molded his chakra into his shackles, and punched the ground, using the shackles as amplifiers and making the ground quake. Juugo and Taido jump into the air to avoid the debris that came flying as a result of the ground breakage.

The small Glass nin jumped and did a few seals, creating glass swallows aimed at Taido, while the large Glass nin, quick for his size, ran towards Juugo to ram him in. As Taido ducked and flexed, weaving through the glass swallows effectively. Juugo, on the other hand, was having a hard time keeping up with his opponent, with whom he was engaged in heavy taijutsu in. Aside from the sheer power that the Glass nin packed in his punches, glass shards seemed to appear at the end of his punches, which was double jeopardy for the auburn-haired Sound nin.

The heavy Glass nin gave Juugo a solid left hook, followed up by a full punch in the gut. He flipped away, clutching the sore part, and the Glass nin ran to him again, aiming another solid fist at him, this time at the face. He ducked under the glass-tipped punch, just missing it by a hairsbreadth. He threw a punch of his own at the Glass nin's gut, but the larger nin didn't even seemed to be fazed – his rock-solid body was so hard that Juugo had to recoil after the punch, his fist sore.

The heavy-handed taijutsu battle continued, the huge Glass nin on the offensive, Juugo on the defensive. Meanwhile, Taido was still dodging the small Glass nin's attacks – this particular Glass nin seemed particularly adept at creating animal figures with glass. For the past minute, he had been chasing Taido around with deadly flocks of glass swallows, or else, glass renditions of deadly predatory creatures, which Taido had been deflecting using taijutsu or defensive ninjutsu, but he had yet to hurt his opponent. They were currently even.

The glass nin leapt into the air again, and created another speedy, but bigger flock of swallows directed at Taido. He flipped backwards out of the way, creating an earth barrier to block the last barrage, but as he leapt backward, a huge glass tiger came towards him, baring its teeth. He barely twisted out of harm's way, gaining a large gash on his side for his effort.

Gaara leaned forward, completely engrossed with the battles. There were very few instances when he, or anyone, for that matter, could actually see what was going on, but the scenes he actually saw made up for it. _Those two pairs of nins are quite skilled, _he observed. _The Sound needs some refinement on their part, but on the whole, everything's even as of now._

"I'm putting my money on that Taido guy," Temari announced to Kankuro. "He made an examiner faint in the exam before."

"I'm betting that Taido finishes everything in less than 10 minutes," Kankuro said.

"I bet you 150 ryo that he's done in 5 minutes," Temari replied.

"You're on!" Kankuro exclaimed, grinning.

Juugo's face contorted with frustration as he continued battling the bulky Glass nin. He couldn't get a good hit in at all. Besides that, he was not only fighting with the Glass nin as of the moment – he was also fighting the rising urge to let the Curse Seal take control of him. It seems he could not defeat this opponent without a power-up, yet he could not suppress the sick feeling in his stomach that he may, again, needlessly kill someone.

As he dodged an incoming punch from the Glass nin, he caught Taido's eye. There was a glint in them he couldn't accurately describe – but it was though it was reassuring him that things were going to be all right, that he could draw upon his accursed power. The bloodlust rose quicker than ever. His pupils dilated, and his heart rate rose. It was coming.

And suddenly, he couldn't control it. He was slowly losing himself, and slowly, physical manifestations of the Curse Seal began appearing. As the Glass nin aimed another punch to his gut, he found that he could and stop the punch with his bare hands. The Glass nin's eyes widened, and Juugo let out a feral snarl, beginning his rampage.

Taido's smirk was bland, but there was an unmistakable malice in it. The tide was turning in their favor.

"That's the Curse Seal!" Kiba exclaimed, pointing to Juugo. "He even has it worse than Sasuke!"

"I_ really _pity that Juugo's opponent now," Naruto said, grimacing.

"It won't be very good for those Glass nin," Ino said, shaking her head. "They might as well give it up."

Before the huge Glass nin could even draw a breath, Juugo began aiming heavy but quick punches at him, catching every vital area effectively. Though the Glass nin was protected by his hulk of a body, the stress brought on by continued hits was taking its toll. He managed to block a high kick towards his cranium, but failed to see the follow-up punch in the face, which sent him flying.

The Glass nin wasn't one to give up so easily, though. He punched the floor, sending Juugo flying with the impact, and leapt towards the Sound nin to serve another round of glass-ended punches. He got a few hits in, but Juugo managed to deflect anything potentially fatal. The match was becoming uneven in favor of Juugo, who still had a feral expression on his face, snarling like an angered beast. The Glass nin's rhythm finally broke, and Juugo threw his own barrage of fists, effectively hitting more vital spots than the Glass nin could have ever managed.

The smaller Glass nin, in the meantime, grew apprehensive about the state his teammate was in. Instead of direction another glass animal – a bull, this time – at Taido, he re-molded his chakra to aim the glass animal at Juugo. Thinking quickly, Taido leapt backwards, slammed his palm the ground, and made large ten-foot phalluses emerge from the ground, destroying the bull on impact.

"Your opponent," Taido stated quietly, "is _me_."

And with a speed that hadn't been apparent earlier in the match, he sped towards the smaller Glass nin, burying an upward punch into his gut. It sank in there for a fraction of a second, then the impact sent him flying into the air. Taido brought out several shuriken and aimed it at the Glass nin in midair, where he couldn't dodge. He could only protect his vitals from being hit. While he was still falling, he managed to shrug off the sharp metal stars from his person and molded his chakra.

A bear came rushing from Taido's behind, coming in to ram into him. Taido molded his chakra, and before the bear could reach him, a full gravel wall sprang from the ground, where the glass bear rammed into, shattering into pieces.

But the Glass nin was nearly as quick as Taido. Just as the bear broke into shards of glass, he managed to mold his chakra again and reformed the shards in midair, turning them into sharp-beaked swallows once more. They flew towards Taido, chasing him even as he tried to evade them. What was more was that the slim Glass nin created a second flock, so that the glass birds surrounded him in all directions.

The Glass nin smirked, thinking that he had the upper hand. He met Taido's silver blue eyes, briefly.

He was dazed for a microsecond, the formation of glass swallows fluctuating slightly. Then, to everyone's shock, the glass swallows turned from Taido and aimed from their progenitor – the small Glass nin – instead.

"That's cruel!" Hinata squeaked, shutting her eyes and hiding behind her hands.

"That's the way it is," Shino said, putting an arm around the midnight-haired girl. "It can't be helped."

_Those eyes are frightening, _Tsunade thought, swallowing, her grip on her chair tight. _They're nearly as frightening as the Sharingan. To have your jutsu turned inward… especially when you put all your energy into it… I don't wonder why Orochimaru has this kind of guy under his command._

"That is the power of the Shakugan," Orochimaru said to Kabuto. "It can alter the opponent's eyes by eye contact, and it can hypnotize. But perhaps the scariest ability of those eyes is that it can make you attack yourself."

The barrage ended, and the Glass nin lay bloodied on the floor, unconscious because of his own technique. Taido shifted his attention to Juugo, who had thrown the large Glass nin aside. Without any leash on his power, he was looking around for his next victim.

"The match is over!" the referee yelled to the crowd. "This match goes to Juugo and Taido of Sound!"

But there was still an air of tension in the surroundings. Juugo, still in Curse Seal form, stalked towards the referee, radiating intent to shed blood. He gave a feral snarl, and went to aim a blow at the unsuspecting referee.

Immediately, Taido was in front of him, meeting Juugo's crazed eyes with his own. Juugo paused in his tracks, unable to move, as though having an internal battle with himself. The moment seemed to everyone as though it was disconnected from everything else, standing still until all was in order. Soon, his hackles lowered, and he was back into his original form, quiet and calm, though exhausted.

The Glass nins were brought to the infirmary, now thoroughly unconscious, while Taido and Juugo went back to their place in the stadium. "They were incredibly strong," Midori commented.

"Scary strong," Akai confirmed, shuddering. "I'm _so _glad we didn't have to fight them."

"But then again, we might have to in the one-on-one," Midori said as-a-matter-of-factly. Akai shuddered again.

Sasuke's dark eyes followed Taido as he began talking to the female jounin guide of the Sound. "Sasuke-kun…?" Sakura asked. "Is something the matter?"

"Nothing at all," Sasuke said. Sakura nodded, though her brow was still knit in concern.

Then, from across the stadium, Taido's eyes met Sasuke's. Taido was too far to exert any power over Sasuke, and vice versa, but there was a clear tension in between them. _Avoiding the Sound might be harder this time than last._

"Sasuke-sama's match is next," Taido said to Tsubame. "When do we carry out the plan?"

"Like I told you," Tsubame said, "the Glass shinobi are going to be invading this village today. There's going to be complete chaos later on, and most are going to focus on putting them down. That's when we strike – when Sasuke-sama is overwhelmed with the fighting."

"And what about those teammates of his? They'll be keeping a closer eye on him, after last night's events."

"They won't have time to babysit Sasuke-sama while there's a war going on," Tsubame replied. "This plan has a good chance of succeeding."

On the Kage viewing deck, Shizune was gripping Tonton in excitement._It's going to be Sasuke and Sakura's match! I can't wait to see how Sakura will apply her training with Tsunade-sama and Kakashi-san! How exciting this is!_

"That girl is your apprentice, is it not?" the Raikage asked Tsunade.

The hazel-eyed Hokage smiled proudly. "Yes, she is, after Shizune. Though I believe she will eventually grow to surpass the both of us."

A smile played on the Hidden Cloud leader's lips. "That's saying quite a lot, Hokage-dono."

"But isn't her teammate Uchiha Sasuke?" the Mizukage asked shrewdly.

"What about him?" Tsunade asked with a smile, though her eyes were steely. She didn't doubt that the Mizukage would attack her for Uchiha Sasuke's presence in the Exam.

"Uchiha Sasuke was previously a missing nin, until you granted him freedom with probationary measures, was he not?" the Mizukage asked. "May I ask why he is so free that he can even take the Jounin Exams?"

Tsunade was ready for it. "I believe in Uchiha Sasuke, and in the team I've assigned to guard him. I've lived long enough to be able to judge people's loyalties by their mere actions and gestures, and by the things they hide behind their words. And I can say Uchiha Sasuke merely strayed off the path for a while, but he's back now, and that's all that matters."

"And you're not doing it for, I don't know… say, the powers of the Sharingan?"

The blonde Hokage's answer was smooth and effortless. "If I were power-hungry, yes, the Sharingan would be the top priority. But Konoha is powerful enough – we don't need to scrounge for every last bit of manpower we can get."

Shizune nearly whistled as the Mizukage was beaten again. _Nicely handled, Tsunade-sama!_

Back to the Konoha nin, Naruto exclaimed, "It's your match now, Sasuke, Sakura-chan!"

"G-good luck, you two!" Hinata said as enthusiastically as she could.

"Don't hog the spotlight, Uchiha," Neji advised, smirking. Sasuke scowled at him, while Sakura laughed.

"That's okay, Neji-san," she giggled. "I was better working in the background anyway."

"Sasuke-kun, Sakura-san," Lee said, "don't be afraid to bring out your youthful springtime!"

"In other words, you had better win, Forehead Girl!" Ino yelled happily, poking Sakura's forehead.

"Ow! Ino-pig, that HURT!" Sakura yelled back, pulling on Ino's ponytail.

"That's enough, Sakura," Sasuke said. "We have to go."

"If something happens to Sakura-chan, I'm going to hurt you, okay, Sasuke?" Naruto warned, grinning.

"Don't count on it," Sasuke replied, smirking.

They leapt down into the battlefield, once again clear of the obstructions and damage the previous matches had made. From across the stadium, the twins had also come down, and were now walking towards the referee.

"So this is where we stage our revenge?" Shikyo asked. "I hope we don't get too bored."

"You underestimate our opponent too much," Seikatsu said, pulling gently on Shikyo's long pigtails. "Haruno Sakura _did_ manage to defeat Sasori-sama, after all, and we've been hearing a lot about Uchiha Sasuke's strength. We'll be expending a lot of our strength, so don't use it all up at once."

Shikyo rolled her eyes. "Fine."

"The final match of the day," the referee yelled amidst all the cheering and screaming from the stands, "Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, versus Kou Shikyo and Seikatsu."

The two teams faced each other, Shikyo staring with barely masked loathing at Sakura. The green-eyed girl held the gaze without showing any fear.

"Sasuke-kun," she said quietly. "Don't forget your promise."

"_Just promise me, okay? That you'll let me fight and not hold me back… even if you're doing it to protect me. Do you promise?"_

_Sasuke stared at her for a bit, contemplating his answer. Finally, he replied, "Whatever you want."_

"No, I won't forget," Sasuke replied, just as quietly.

"_But if you get in trouble, I don't want to be held responsible. You're going to have to do it on my terms when you're already dying."_

"Let the eight match… begin!"

The two teams stood apart from each other, scrutinizing the situation. In a bold move, Sakura made the first attack. Running towards Shikyo, the female twin, she aimed her chakra-concentrated fist. To her surprise, Shikyo dodged easily, so that her fist landed on the ground, creating a tiny tremor on the battlefield. She wrenched her fist from the rubble and aimed a few more quick punches and kicks at the dirty-blonde Sand nin, but she was evading each attack swiftly and gracefully.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, his eye alive with the Sharingan, threw a batch of kunai at Seikatsu, the male of the Sand duo, and he leapt out of the way. Just as he was about to land on his feet, Sasuke threw several kunai again, towards where he was going to land. _He won't be able to dodge, _Sasuke thought.

Surprisingly, Seikatsu managed to avoid a critical hit, only getting scratches at his side. _How odd – I know my aim wasn't off, _the Uchiha prodigy thought, trying not to let bewilderment throw him off focus._How did he dodge?_

Sakura, on the other hand, knew what was going on. During the course of her battle with Shikyo, she noticed that the female Sand nin had an eye on her brother, and had flexed her fingers just so, to help pull Seikatsu out of the way. _So they _are _controlling each other to cover for each other's mistakes, even from afar, _Sakura realized. _It's ingenious._

The coral-haired nin spun to kick Shikyo across the stomach, but she merely bent back. She grinned maliciously, cooing, "Is that all you have, Haruno Sakura?"

The addressed girl sent her a cold look. "I have barely begun, Shikyo-san."

She directed her fist at the female Sand nin once more, but the Sand nin grabbed hold of her arm for leverage, flipped into the air, and waved a scroll open, summoning a puppet spiked with several blades on its limbs and spine. She made it go towards Sakura, its blades catching light. The puppet waved its arm forward, the blade coming towards Sakura's neck.

Sakura managed to block the attack at the last second with a kunai, and she broke the deadlock, leaping away to safety. Now Shikyo was in the offensive, and Sakura in the defensive. The Konoha medic continued to evade the blade puppet's attacks, but it seemed more and more as if Shikyo were merely toying with her.

On the other side of the battle, Sasuke was trying, without luck, to land a good hit on Seikatsu, but it seemed like the male Sand nin was incredibly good at dodging. The Uchiha began to build up chakra into his lungs. As Seikatsu came towards him, he blew out a large fireball, bigger than the usual fireball he dealt to his opponents. Seikatsu was soon covered in flames.

The flames died down quickly, and Sasuke found that what he had burned was not Seikatsu at all, but a piece of cloth. "Kawarimi," Sasuke hissed under his breath, flicking his Sharingan orbs around the battlefield to see where Seikatsu had gone.

The male twin, in fact, was behind Sasuke, having summoned a puppet of his own. The puppet had blunt metal spikes protruding from its fists and forehead. It went headlong towards Sasuke, and aimed a punch at him. Sasuke twisted to his left and rammed the sheathed Kusanagi on the puppet's back.

The puppet broke in half, but not the way Sasuke hoped it would. Instead, it broke in the middle to reveal long metal whips in the core of the puppet, all of which were heading towards him. The whips shot forward to stab him, but he managed to deflect them with the sheathed Kusanagi.

They came towards him again, and almost immediately, the Chidori flickered to life. Before the sharp metal whips could reach him, he molded the electricity in his hand, shaping it into a flowing current and connecting with the whips. Because of the white-hot energy, the metal melded together, rendering it useless, and Sasuke was safe. For good measure, he threw an explosive tag attached to a kunai towards the puppet, and it exploded into pieces.

Sakura, in the meantime, was still playing a deadly game of tag with Shikyo's puppet. "You can't run forever, Haruno Sakura!" Shikyo sang gleefully, making the puppet slash towards Sakura's ankles. The Konoha kunoichi jumped to avoid it, and managed to barely block the puppet's follow up blade stab with a kunai. Without wasting time, she took off again, circling the arena and trying to find a way to break from the chase.

There was only one way. She kept running, and the puppet gained momentum behind her. Without warning, Sakura stopped, pivoted quickly and slammed a power punch into the puppet's chest area, blowing it to pieces.

Shikyo went back to back with Seikatsu, not taking her maroon eyes off Sakura. "Was Uchiha Sasuke bothersome, Seikatsu?" she asked.

"A little," Seikatsu replied. "He managed to destroy one of my puppets."

"Shall we put him away as well?"

"I think he will do all he can to keep us from fulfilling our goal, so yes, we ought to."

Sakura and Sasuke, who were on the opposite sides of the battlefield, had the twins trapped between them. The two of them rush towards the twins, Sakura slower, Sasuke faster. In a fleeting moment, the dark-haired Konoha nin had appeared in front of Seikatsu. His Kusanagi, now unsheathed, sliced across the air towards Seikatsu's abdomen.

Suddenly, Sasuke could feel the Kusanagi vibrating, as though it was being pulled away by an invisible force. Shikyo, who had spared him a glance, was raising one hand in a seal, and soon, the Kusanagi slipped through his fingers and levitated towards Shikyo, who caught it and threw it aside. Sakura, in the meantime, had thrown several kunai, but these also stopped in midair and were thrown aside by Shikyo.

_No way,_ Sakura thought, panicking. _The girl can control magnetism too?_

While Sasuke was still getting over his shock, Seikatsu took out a kunai and slashed at him. Sasuke blocked the attack, matching the kunai with his own. As iron met iron, Sasuke found that he could not wrench the kunai from the deadlock. His grip loosened, and the kunai remained attached to Seikatsu's kunai. _It's been magnetized as well, and I can't copy the technique, _the Uchiha realized, jumping away to reassess everything. _It must be a bloodline limit, then._

"Magnetism was the power of the Sandaime Kazekage, was it not?" Temari asked Kankuro.

"It was," Kankuro said, nodding. "Those two are probably related to him."

"It seems like a powerful bloodline," Temari murmured to herself. "It renders nearly all ninja weapons useless. Sakura and Sasuke are going to have to rely on ninjutsu and taijutsu for this fight. I wonder who's going to win…"

Sakura now had engaged Shikyo and another puppet in taijutsu bout again. As she continued her attack, weaving in and out of the puppet's traps, she asked, "Why do you have the power of the Sandaime Kazekage?"

"We are his grandchildren," Shikyo replied with a smirk, pride clear in her voice. "Naturally-" A compartment on the puppet opened, shooting senbon out, and Sakura skillfully dodged them, "-we've inherited his skills."

"And you never deigned to realize that it was Sasori who killed your grandfather?" Sakura asked, gritting her teeth.

"We have no attachment to him – he was dead long before we were born," Shikyo said indifferently. "It was Sasori-sama who found us as orphans and decided to train us. We owe our lives to him – and you took him away!" She flexed her fingers, and her puppet went high into the air. Another compartment in the puppet opened, and it began shooting out numerous kunai, and Sakura unrolled an unused scroll so the attack could be blocked.

Back to Sasuke and Seikatsu, who were a few meters away from Sakura and Shikyo, were still fighting. Sasuke could not fight with metal weapons anymore, so he had resorted to using his ninjutsu. As Seikatsu's puppet, with spinning blades, came at him, he readied himself to perform a fire jutsu. With a flick of his wrist, Seikatsu directed the puppet at Sasuke, and the dark-haired nin blew out a huge fireball in response. The puppet was hit, and it began to burn freely, while Seikatsu let go of his control.

Sakura could not get a hit on Shikyo, only managing to destroy her puppets whenever she could. However, Shikyo had multitudes of puppets, and the pink-haired nin was wearing out faster than her opponent. As she dodged yet another attack, she managed a glance at Sasuke and Seikatsu, who were just a few meters from them.

A puppet came at her, long, thin blades at its fingertips. Sakura ran towards the puppet as well, but before they could attack one another, Sakura feinted and went to attack Seikatsu, who was too engrossed with his own battle. Shikyo, acting swiftly, released chakra strings from her fingertips and attached them to Seikatsu. Before Sakura could realize it, Seikatsu, through Shikyo's control, had whipped around to face her, throwing several kunai in her direction. She managed to stop herself, but the kunai still wounded her, embedding into her skin.

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled.

"It's okay," Sakura said, standing up again, healing some of her larger wounds. "I'm okay."

"Is Sakura-chan going to be okay?" Ino asked.

"She should be," Shikamaru reassured her. "That's nothing she can't heal."

"They can't get close to either puppeteer, though," Shino remarked. "They haven't landed any good blows at all."

"Well, this seems like it's going to be a long battle," Lee commented.

The battle continued, reaching the 10-minute mark. Both sides were skilled, but Sasuke and Sakura were more exhausted than the Sand twins. The supply of puppets the Sand twins, however, was dwindling with each destructive attack which Sakura and Sasuke dealt.

Seikatsu and Shikyo stood beside each other and they each summoned a puppet. The Konoha nins readied themselves. The puppets joined themselves together, limb to limb, head to head. Several blades emerged from their backs. Then, Shikyo and Seikatsu began to make the puppets cartwheel quickly towards Sasuke and Sakura, who were standing together as well.

The dark-haired prodigy and the pink-haired medic jumped in opposite directions, separating them. The puppets separated in mid-air and began throwing large blades at Sasuke and Sakura. The girl of the duo managed to get out of the line of fire and went to attack the puppeteers while her teammate kept them busy.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was aiming a fireball at the puppets. Just as he blew the fireball, Sakura filled her fist with chakra and aimed at Shikyo. Seikatsu quickly noticed this and pushed Shikyo out of the way, so that Sakura's punch landed on the floor. His twin sister, meanwhile, noticed that the puppets, which were on fire, were about to fall on Seikatsu, and she pulled him to safety as well.

The two teams regrouped again, discussing their options. "It can't be avoided, Shikyo," Seikatsu said quietly. "Our supply of puppets is running low. We're going to have to use Iron Sand."

"Well, it seems we have no choice," Shikyo said. "I can't believe we've been pushed this far."

"Haruno Sakura _did_ manage to defeat Sasori-sama, after all," Seikatsu conceded.

"Tch. It was just a combination of sheer luck and better comrades," Shikyo muttered.

On the other side, Sakura and Sasuke exchanged information. "They can control magnetism," Sakura informed Sasuke quietly.

"I know."

"It's also possible that they can control Iron Sand, just like the Sandaime Kazekage could," Sakura added.

"I see," Sasuke said. "And it also looks like I can either strengthen or weaken the magnetism, depending on how strong my Chidori is. We're going to be depending on the physics of it."

"Then let's try it out," Sakura said, and Sasuke nodded. Without any more conversation, they turned towards the enemy. Sakura flipped forward towards Shikyo and Seikatsu, and, focusing chakra into her index finger, ripped a chasm open in the battlefield. The chasm opened further and further, the earth shaking, until it threatened to swallow Seikatsu and Shikyo up. Shikyo slipped into the chasm, but her brother managed to grab her hand and pull her to safety.

But they didn't anticipate Sasuke's incoming fire attack. Before they could notice it, he had thrown kunai with metal strings attached at them, tying them together. A piece of metal string was still in Sasuke's hand, and through this string, he blew a fireball, which made a direct course for the two Sand nin.

Shikyo, however, managed to cut through the metal strings at the very last minute, so before they could be fully engulfed by the fireball, she pulled her brother with her, taking them to safety. They were, however, not without injuries; Seikatsu's left sleeve had completely burned off, his arm bright red with burns, while Shikyo's long hair and scarf were singed in places, her palms also slightly burned. Sasuke made an irritated noise – he didn't intend to cause so little damage.

Sakura did a few seals, and huge walls of gravel erupted from the ground, dislocating the twins from each other again. Seikatsu seemed to be the one who was getting his bearings first, and Sasuke rushed to him. In a second, he was there in front of Seikatsu, and he managed to land a kick on the male twin's gut. Sasuke's continuous taijutsu attacks started, and Seikatsu was hard-put at blocking any of them.

Shikyo, on the other hand, was being continuously trapped by Sakura in walls of gravel, so she was spending more energy trying to get out of it, to get to her brother. She threw explosive tags, this way and that, to let herself free of Sakura's walls. Then, she caught sight of her brother, losing against Sasuke. "Idiot brother," she muttered as she avoided being trapped into four walls of gravel again. "He always needs me."

What seemed to be her black arm-guards, waist-guards, and shin-guards began disintegrating, as though shedding off her body. _So _that's_where she keeps her Iron Sand,_ Sakura realized. _Her armor was the Iron Sand itself!_

"What's that?" Tenten asked.

"I think that's what Sakura-san was fighting, that time when we were sent to rescue Gaara-kun," Lee answered. "Iron Sand, I think, it's called. Those two seem to be controlling it with magnetism."

"So they'll probably be able to form it in different sorts of weapon, right?" Ino asked worriedly.

"Basically," Chouji said. "So while Sakura and Sasuke don't have any weapon they can use, those two have a wide array of weapons they can choose from – they just have to form it out of that black sand of theirs."

"I feel rather jealous," Tenten muttered, pouting.

Sakura created another barrier, but Shikyo managed to send her black sand out quickly towards her brother. Sasuke saw this coming, but had not estimated its power. Just as he made to kick Seikatsu again, the Iron Sand made a shield between the two shinobi, so that what Sasuke kicked was the iron shield. Seikatsu reacted to his sister's action quickly by molding the black sand himself into several spikes, one of which embedded itself in Sasuke's foot.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled. Sasuke gritted his teeth in pain, determined not to yell out.

Seikatsu smirked and quickly pulled out the iron spike from Sasuke's foot, causing him more pain. Sakura abandoned her task of trapping Shikyo and grabbed Sasuke before Seikatsu could think of more ways to impale Sasuke with the Iron Sand.

"So that was the Iron Sand?" Sasuke asked as Sakura healed his foot.

"Yeah," Sakura replied. "That's not the full extent of its power, though."

"Don't heal me too much. You'll lose significant amounts of chakra," Sasuke reminded her. Sakura wanted to disagree, but it was the most logical thing to do. "It seems that they fight a lot better when they're in sync, as though they are one. Even if they're not in sync at times, they have a good tag-team strategy."

"So you think that's what we should do?" Sakura asked.

"We may not be as in sync as they are, but we are definitely more powerful in taijutsu," Sasuke said as Sakura finished up. "We just need to think and act as a single unit. We have to finish this as soon as we can, or we'll lose too much chakra."

"It looks like those two from Konoha are finally getting serious," Midori mentioned, sitting on the railing. "They've been doing well since the beginning, but not well enough."

"I suppose they're planning to finish this as soon as they can," Akai said. "It's been, what, 13 minutes?"

"The longest battle," Midori agreed. "But certainly one of the most exciting."

Moments later, Sasuke went ahead to begin their attack while Sakura stayed behind, forming seals for a major Earth jutsu. Seikatsu did his own seals as well, creating giant blocks of iron form the iron sand on his own armor. He was aiming to crush Sasuke, much like how Sasori's was in his battle with Sakura and Chiyo. With the Sharingan, however, Sasuke managed to read where Seikatsu would try to direct the iron blocks, and he managed to avoid them, aiming straight for the twins.

Shikyo, on the other hand, had directed a puppet, trying to cover for each of Seikatsu's mistakes. When he missed Sasuke, who had evaded to the left, Shikyo brought the puppet beside the Uchiha to intercept him. But Sasuke was nearly always able to avoid this follow-up attack, or else managing to destroy yet another puppet of theirs.

"Urgh, what is this!?" Shikyo exclaimed, frustrated as she brought another puppet out again.

"That's the skill of the Sharingan, his clan's special eyes," Seikatsu replied, his usually calm face now showing some frustrated emotion as well. "It can predict movements. We're at an especial loss here – since we're puppeteers, it doesn't even take the Sharingan to predict our next movements."

"Argh!" Shikyo screamed, and she opened all the weapon compartments present in her current puppet. As Seikatsu directed an iron block at Sasuke, aiming to crush him from above, Shikyo went in to attack upfront. Sasuke's eyes narrowed when a barrage of shuriken assaulted him, but he deflected them with his empty sword hilt. Before he could recover, multitudes of kunai came shooting at him, and he flipped away to avoid them.

The block was getting closer, and he had not destroyed the puppet yet. Rushing forward, he used his hilt to hit what he predicted was the weak point of the puppet, and he managed to bring it to pieces.

However, something was not right. _The angle of the iron block is wrong, like it's not heading towards me. Wait. _Sasuke's eyes widened and he doubled back. _Fuck. It's heading for her!_

Sakura was still concentrating on doing her jutsu, which had an incredibly long succession of seals. Sasuke leapt into action before the iron blocks could hit her. Spinning in the air, he threw two kunai at the twins. Shikyo magnetized them, making them stop in midair, but failed to notice the explosive tags attached to them until they exploded, the power of the explosion forcing her and her brother apart.

Sasuke's job was not done yet. Seikatsu was still controlling the block of iron. Before it could crush the pink-haired girl, Sasuke powered his Chidori as much as he could and slammed it into the block, the strong current demagnetizing the block and disintegrating it.

Almost immediately after, Sakura finished her seals, and before Seikatsu could regain control of the Iron Sand scattered around them, a dragon formed out of the earth and launched itself towards the twins. Shikyo managed to act at the last minute by creating an iron shield around her and her brother, but the force the earth dragon held when it slammed into their barrier still managed to throw them off their feet, and across the battlefield.

The light-haired twins were not going down yet, though. To Sasuke and Sakura's exasperation, they were still getting up, though their physical states were just as bad as the Konoha duo's, now. "Seikatsu!" Shikyo hissed, narrowing her dark-red orbs at her partner. "I thought we were going to destroy her in this exam!"

"Patience, Shikyo," Seikatsu said. "We're going to be ending this soon. And if we can't destroy her now, well, we still have the next exam."

"She has to die, _now_," Shikyo replied acidly.

"I can't believe they still aren't down!" Sakura said to Sasuke. "What aren't we doing right?"

"We just have to react and weave through our teamwork quicker than them, that's all," Sasuke said calmly. "They're not good at close combat – that much is obvious. Let's finish this with a quick taijutsu combo."

"I thought that attack was going to finish it once and for all!" Naruto cried. "What's taking Sasuke and Sakura-chan so long!?"

"Their opponents are pretty strong, after all," Shikamaru drawled. "But Sakura and Sasuke are stronger – they're going to be finishing up soon."

"And I have a feeling it's going to be something flashy," Kiba added. "The three of you love big finishes, after all."

"I wonder what their finishing move will be…" Hinata murmured.

"It'll certainly be something big," Ino affirmed. "You go, Sasuke-kun, Forehead Girl!"

Sasuke leapt into the air just as Sakura made the battlefield shake with her fist again. The twins, anticipating this, leapt up, Shikyo with the black sand shaped as metal spikes, and Seikatsu with the puppet. They went towards Sasuke, with their weapons aloft.

However, Sakura was ready again. Before any of their weapons could attack Sasuke, she was poised on the ground. Leaping up at an angle, she grabbed the twins' heads, and, flipping in the air, managed to flip them over as well. The twins, stunned at the quickness and unpredictability of the attack, were rendered helpless.

Then it was Sasuke's turn. He alternated punching and kicking the twins in a style reminiscent of the Shishi Rendan. As they were still in mid-fall, Sakura leapt into the air beside Sasuke. They exchanged a brief smirk. In perfect synchronicity, they slammed their right elbows on their respective opponent's abdomen, followed up with a strong palm to the chest, and finished with a knee to the gut. Then came their shout-

"_Sasu-Saku Rendan_!"

And their opponents slammed to the ground, unconscious.

"Ufufufufufu." Kakashi grinned rather widely from behind his mask, as he watched from his designated seat with Gai, Asuma and Kurenai. _So the children _are_growing up, in more ways than one._

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged half-puzzled, half-amused glances. Gaara and his siblings blinked a few times. On the Konoha part of the stadium, the Chuunin were excitedly chattering about this new development.

"Sasu-Saku Rendan!?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief, the first one to get his voice back from the shock. "What the hell!? Why couldn't we have a Naru-Hina Rendan, Hinata-chan!?" he added to the dark-haired Hyuuga girl beside him, who blushed.

"N-naruto-kun, we didn't take time to n-name our combo, so…"

"That was kinda unoriginal, if you ask me," Kiba said, frowning in contemplation. "I mean, if Akamaru and I had a combo, I wouldn't name it Aka-Kiba Rendan…"

"Oh, be quiet, Kiba," Tenten admonished. "I thought it was sweet!"

"It sounded like Sakura was claiming Sasuke-kun for herself, though," Ino said, a mischievous grin spreading over her face. Tenten began to mirror her expression.

"Or maybe it's the other way around!" the weapons mistress cackled, and she high-fived with Ino.

"Is that all what girls ever think about…?" Shikamaru muttered under his breath, more to himself than anyone.

"Tenten!" Lee exclaimed. "Let us make our own Lee-Ten Rendan of Youth as well!"

"Lee!" Tenten said, grimacing. "It kind of only works for Sasuke and Sakura-chan, you know!"

Lee looked downcast, then turned a hopeful puppy eyes at Neji. "Neji! Let's-"

"_No_," Neji said curtly, making it clear that it was the end of the discussion.

"And the winner of the last match of the fourth exam – Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura, who was a bit more exhausted than Sasuke, leaned on her teammate a little, though her grin was still proud. The raven-haired Sharingan user looked rather smug, though from the victory or from something else, it was a mystery.

* * *

A few interested eyes followed Sakura and Sasuke up the stairs, where they took their place with their fellow Leaf Chuunin after they retrieved Sasuke's sword. "So that's Uchiha Sasuke's real skill," Suigetsu said, nodding appreciatively. "_Real_ nice. No wonder that Orochimaru wants him." 

"I doubt that's his full strength, though," Karin, now fully healed, interjected. "He lost his sword in the battle. If he had not lost his sword, he may have shown more skill than that. There's still a lot of talent hidden inside him."

"Oh, just admit you have a shrine to him in your closet, already," Suigetsu drawled, clearly bored. Karin raised her fist to punch him, but Taido spoke up.

"He's powerful, but not loyal enough to Orochimaru-sama," he said in the same toneless voice. "When the time comes to capture him, I think I can manage to change that."

Below the Sound nins' viewing deck sat their master and his lieutenant. "Sasuke-kun has gained new skills since we last met him, it seems," Orochimaru said softly.

"True, true," Kabuto agreed. "I don't recall seeing that sword in the Chuunin Exams."

"It is a Kusanagi as well," Orochimaru said approvingly. "I believe it will become mine as well, once Sasuke-kun's body is mine."

"And what of the Kyuubi and the Haruno girl?" Kabuto asked.

"I'll have use for them later," Orochimaru said dismissively. "As of now, all I need is for Sasuke-kun to come to us."

In the shadows, another pair of eyes, nearly identical to Sasuke's, observed him as he tried, in vain, to fend off the teasing that his Chuunin friends were giving him. These eyes noticed the Kyuubi jinchuuriki's admiration hidden under rivalry, and the unmasked adoration that the little pink-haired girl seemed to give his brother.

_Maybe a little more strength, foolish little brother_, Itachi said to himself.

* * *

**Next Chapter…**

**Sasuke:** Well, this should be some cause for excitement – the one-on-one matches are next. I can see Naruto and Lee can't contain their joy. Feh, as usual.

It seems that some rather unimportant battles are coming first. I don't even feel interested… except- wait. That's… _my_ battle. Oh. Kay.

Well, it doesn't really matter now, does it? There are a very few number of persons who can beat me, and my opponent isn't about to become one of them.

Next chapter, _Explosion! Head to Head._

I suppose I _should _be interested in Hinata's battle too…

* * *

**AN:** (1) Flaming Eyes. Borrowed from the series "Shakugan no Shana," so it definitely doesn't belong to me or Masashi Kishimoto. 

Don't kill me yet for naming it "Sasu-Saku Rendan"! Not until I'm done with the epic!

Honestly, when I was writing this I thought the idea was cute. But the cuteness sickens me after a while, so… eh. But it's too late to change it. Argh.

Anyway, that SasuSaku battle has got to be the longest single battle scene I've ever written, ever. Or at least, it could rival the Sasuke vs Naruto battle scene back in chapter 18. Whoo. I hope you liked this one though – it was tough conceptualizing it, and even tougher putting it down in words.

**Edit: **I understand that the first two fight scenes may not seem so important, even though they are, but I do want to know if they've been read by most of the reviewers. So can you tell me in your review if you read them or not? And if you did, just how thoroughly? Thanks. As always, I'd like long reviews!


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